Serbian agriculture in focus: scalable organic production, smart Investment, and market pressure

LoginEKO: Scaling organic farming with results

LoginEKO’s 2025 harvest shows that organic farming at scale can deliver both stable output and food-industry quality. Farming 3,250 hectares organically in Serbia, the company produced 9,870 tonnes of wheat, oats, sunflower, peas, flax, chickpeas, spelt and faba beans under demanding climate and soil conditions, in line with Serbian, EU, Naturland and Bio Suisse standards.

The company argues that scaling organic farming is less about higher input use and more about system design, crop rotation, organisation and timing. Operating across sites more than 100 km apart, on heavy clay soils and in a continental climate, LoginEKO focuses not only on yield but also on the quality parameters that determine market value, including protein content, hectolitre weight, fat content, grain size and impurity levels.

LoginEKO also underlines that organic farming can only grow if it makes economic sense. In its view, large-scale resilience is built through lower dependence on external inputs, stronger agronomic planning, and systems that remain robust under variable conditions. The 2025 harvest suggests that this approach can combine environmental responsibility with commercial sustainability. As part of the global Lighthouse Farm network of commercially viable farms showcasing practical sustainability solutions, LoginEKO will host the regional workshop “Lighthouse Farm Lab in Serbia” in the first week of June together with Wageningen University, with a focus on how data and technology can help scale sustainable farming systems.

Agro Bel System: technology, quality and sustainable fruit production

Agro Bel System is a Serbian fruit producer focused on premium berry and nut production, built around modern technology, freshness control and sustainable growing practices. Founded in 2016, the company operates on 20 hectares near Belgrade, with a strong focus on quality, food safety and environmental responsibility.

Its model combines carefully selected varieties, soil-based planning, modern cultivation techniques, integrated crop protection and controlled cold-chain management. Agro Bel System says its fruit is already present on the Serbian, European and Russian markets, and it holds GlobalG.A.P. certification while introducing additional standards for EU market placement. The company also plays an important coordinating role in Serbia’s fragmented fruit sector, acting as an aggregator of soft fruit for Ahold Delhaize Serbia. By working with small-scale growers, transferring technical know-how and applying shared production standards, it helps connect dispersed primary production with the quality and consistency requirements of modern retail.

Agro Bel System also presents itself as committed to reducing environmental impact, including through minimal use of crop protection products, biological protection in vegetable production and a formal environmental protection policy. Its investments include post-harvest handling infrastructure such as a blueberry packing line with sorting, packaging and conveyor equipment.

During its visit, the LAN team saw a company combining modern technologies with environmental care, while also using IPARD funds to finance part of its operating facilities.

Flower trade grows, but deficit deepens

Serbia’s foreign trade in flowers and ornamental plants reached EUR 49 million last year, up EUR 6 million from the previous year, but the trade deficit widened further. Exports totaled EUR 6.7 million, while imports reached EUR 42.3 million, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

The EU remained Serbia’s most important export market, accounting for 59% of total exports, followed by CEFTA with 21% and the Customs Union (Russia, Belarus, Kazakh-stan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) with 14%. Serbia exported EUR 3.93 million worth of flowers and ornamental plants to the EU, mainly to the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Germany. Exports to CEFTA countries amounted to EUR 1.43 million, largely in live flowers.

At the same time, imports remained heavily concentrated in the EU, which accounted for 78% of Serbia’s total flower imports. Danica Mićanović of the PKS Association for Crop Production and Food Industry said flower consumption is rising globally and in Serbia, with global turnover exceeding EUR 30 billion and the domestic market reaching around EUR 49 million. Over the past four years, however, imports have grown faster than exports, deepening the foreign trade deficit.

She also noted growth in domestic production, especially in roses, the sector’s leading segment. Rose exports rose from EUR 2.5 million in 2024 to EUR 3.4 million last year, while imports increased from EUR 7.04 million to EUR 7.95 million. According to Ljubomir Jelić of the Jelić nursery in Ravno Selo, a household entering this business would need at least 500 square metres of greenhouse space, around EUR 20,000 in initial investment and a broad assortment of flowers, with the investment typically recovered within nine months.