A record land transaction in Novi Sad has drawn attention to the considerable regional disparities in farmland values across the country, while an ongoing summer drought continues to affect export prospects for several key crops, with soybeans most severely impacted. In parallel, the European Union and the EBRD have announced further support for Serbia's environmental infrastructure. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, an upcoming agricultural festival will showcase the region’s growing olive oil and Mediterranean produce sector.
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Record land price in Novi Sad highlights regional disparities
A recent transaction in Novi Sad has set a new benchmark for agricultural land values in Serbia, with a hectare of arable land priced at the equivalent of EUR 180,000. According to data from the Republic Geodetic Authority EUR 107,000 was paid for a 59.57-are plot, equivalent to approximately EUR 1,800 per are. For comparison, the most expensive agricultural land prices in Serbia can now exceed those in the Netherlands, where the average price of agricultural land stood at EUR 108,500 per hectare in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Dutch Land Registry.
This figure stands well above average land prices recorded elsewhere in the country. In Vojvodina, Serbia's principal agricultural region, the average price of agricultural land in spring 2026 was approximately EUR 12,400 per hectare. Prices within the province varied considerably: Srem District recorded the highest average, at EUR 15,620/ha, while Central Banat District was the least expensive, at approximately EUR 8,750/ha.
The disparity is more pronounced when viewed nationally. Average agricultural land prices stood at approximately EUR 6,550/ha in Šumadija and Western Serbia, and EUR 5,130/ha in Southern and Eastern Serbia. The lowest average was recorded in Toplica District, at approximately EUR 1,660/ha.
The Novi Sad transaction underscores both the exceptional value that can be attach to individual, strategically located parcels, and the broader fragmentation of Serbia's agricultural land market.
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EU and EBRD fund rehabilitation of 17 landfills in Serbia
The European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are providing EUR 2.64 million in grant funding to support the closure and rehabilitation of 17 unsanitary landfills across Serbia. The project covers the Pirot, Kolubara and Mačva districts and is expected to improve waste management services for approximately 800,000 residents.
The grant, provided through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), will finance the technical and tender documentation required for the closure, remediation and rehabilitation of the sites. The work is expected to reduce risks to soil, groundwater and air quality, while helping to control landfill gas and greenhouse-gas emissions.
Environment Minister Sara Pavkov noted Serbia's intention to make greater use of EU grant instruments to advance environmental improvements:
We will strive to make greater use of these European Union instruments in the form of non-reimbursable assistance, or grants, and encourage local governments to be more persistent in securing such funding for a better, cleaner environment and a higher quality of life for all our citizens.
The initiative forms part of a broader EBRD and AFD programme to develop modern regional waste-management centres and expand recycling capacity. New facilities are intended to replace unsanitary landfills, with projects already completed or under construction in Kalenić, Pirot, Nova Varoš and Sremska Mitrovica. The EBRD, which has invested more than EUR 11 billion in Serbia to date, has indicated that further support for the country's environmental infrastructure and green transition will continue.
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Drought expected to reduce Serbia's export potential
Serbia's summer drought is not expected to pose a risk to domestic food supply, though reduced yields are likely to affect agricultural exports, particularly maize, according to agricultural economist Milan Prostran.
The season began favourably, with strong harvests of wheat, barley, rye, oats, oilseed rape, fruit and vegetables. More than 2 mil t of wheat are already in storage, contributing to stable domestic supply.
Maize production is expected to meet domestic demand, although the surplus available for export is likely to be reduced. Soybeans, however, have been more severely affected, with July's extreme heat and drought exposing the limitations of Serbia's irrigation capacity.
Soybeans cannot withstand this kind of drought unless they are grown under irrigation. In the future, anyone producing soybeans will have to consider putting all areas under irrigation systems.
, Prostran noted.
As the Agriculture Counsellors’ Office in Belgrade has learned from previous assessments, irrigating Vojvodina alone, Serbia’s most fertile agricultural region, could place heavy pressure on the availability of water in the Danube.
Sunflower, cultivated on more than 300,000 hectares, is expected to yield approximately 2.5 t/ha, down from an earlier projection of 3.5 t/ha. Producers are also facing lower prices, with current sunflower offers around EUR 0.34/kg, compared with expectations of EUR 0.43–0.47/kg.
Further challenges are anticipated in the coming weeks: dry, cracked soils may complicate autumn field preparation and the sowing of wheat and oilseed rape, while low water levels on the Danube could place additional constraints on agricultural exports. Serbia's domestic food supply remains secure, though the drought is narrowing the country's export surplus and adding pressure on producers.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina hosts 18th edition of “Herzegovinian Fruits of the Mediterranean”
On 9 and 10 October 2026, the small Herzegovinian town of Stolac hosts the 18th edition of "Herzegovinian Fruits of the Mediterranean", the region's leading showcase for olives and olive oil, figs, pomegranates, honey and aromatic herbs. Around 120 exhibitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighbouring countries are expected in the town's sports hall for two days of tastings, workshops and product competitions. The organisers are inviting foreign experts, agricultural organisations and equipment suppliers to take part, from irrigation systems and processing and packaging technology to horticultural know-how. Also Dutch traders in these products might be interested. Participation offers direct contact with growers and processors in a market where olive oil production has grown from near-obscurity to some ten mills and internationally awarded oils in less than two decades.
More information
If you would like to know more about Serbia’s agri-food sector and opportunities in areas such as post-harvest handling, cold-chain development, and sustainable production, you can go to the country page of Serbia at this website. You can also send an e-mail to the LAN team at the Dutch Embassy in Belgrade: bel-lvvn@minbuza.nl