Serbia & Montenegro: Greener policy, new protein sources and shifting crop markets

Montenegro aims beyond closing Chapter 27

On 22 October, the LAN Belgrade team at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Serbia and Montenegro organised a conference in Podgorica on Montenegro’s progress in Chapter 27 (Environment and Climate Change) of its EU accession negotiations. The event looked at the progress made so far, the remaining challenges and the priorities ahead.

The conference was opened by H.E. Damjan Ćulafić, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Region Development, and H.E. Martijn Elgersma, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Serbia and Montenegro. Minister Ćulafić made clear that Montenegro’s ambition goes beyond formally closing the chapter:

Our goal is to establish an environmental management system that will function effectively long after the accession negotiations have been concluded 

He pointed to recent progress, including the National Waste Management Plan 2025–2029 and a proposed Natura 2000 network covering more than 44% of Montenegro’s territory. Meeting EU environmental standards, he added, will require investments of more than €3 billion. Ambassador Elgersma welcomed Montenegro’s progress towards EU membership and stressed that environmental protection must remain a priority even after Chapter 27 is provisionally closed.

The discussions focused on the practical side of implementing reforms: nature protection and biodiversity, waste management, monitoring and enforcement. The Dutch contribution drew on experience in environmental and water management, circular solutions and nature protection, and explored the links between waste management, infrastructure, CO₂ emissions and nature. Participants also discussed the Dutch Diamond Approach, in which government, businesses, knowledge institutions and civil society work together.

The conference paved the way for further cooperation between Montenegro and the Netherlands on practical solutions to environmental challenges.

Serbian researchers turn insects and invasive crayfish into protein

Researchers at the Institute of Food Technology in Novi Sad are developing alternative protein sources for food and feed. Two of their projects were presented at the Foodtech 2026 congress in Novi Sad.

The first explores insects and insect meal as alternatives to conventional protein sources, particularly soy, whose production is increasingly threatened by drought.

The second targets the invasive American crayfish, which threatens the natural balance of the Danube. This is a familiar challenge in the Netherlands, where invasive American crayfish (a name used for eight invasive species) threaten ecosystems and water infrastructure: by digging holes and tunnels, they pose a potential risk to Dutch dikes. Serbian researchers aim to turn this pest into a resource by developing products such as marinated crayfish meat and pet food sausages. The shells are also being tested as a raw material for packaging.

Serbian dairy farm turns manure into energy

The Ćorić Agrar dairy farm in Melenci, near Zrenjanin, combines large-scale milk production with renewable energy from biogas. The farm houses 1,400 cattle and produces 15,000 litres of milk per day, with an average yield of 31 litres per cow.

Of the 80 tonnes of manure produced each day, 60 tonnes go into the farm’s biogas plant, together with maize and rye silage. The plant’s capacity is set to increase to 2 MW.

Ćorić Agrar runs several farms with a total of 6,500 cattle and operates further biogas plants in Bašaid and Padej, showing how manure can become an energy resource within an integrated farming business.

Blue poppy outperforms wheat in Vojvodina

Blue poppy for food use is now grown on an estimated 5,000–6,000 hectares in Serbia’s Vojvodina region. Most of the harvest is exported to Austria and Germany, and the seeds are used in the food and bakery industries.

Producer and exporter Nenad Gostović, who coordinates production with farmers across some 2,500 hectares, reports farm-gate prices of RSD 190–200 per kg and average yields of 700–1,300 kg per hectare. Interest in the crop is growing, but further expansion is limited by market demand.

For farmer Filip Ivković Ivandekić, who has grown poppy for four years, the crop earns around 20% more than wheat. For comparison, the Czech Republic, Europe’s leading producer, grows poppy on approximately 40,000 hectares.

Serbian garlic: high prices, too little domestic supply

Serbia imports around 70% of its garlic, even though conditions for domestic production are favourable. According to Slobodan Vlajić of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, the area under garlic has fallen to just 1,200–1,300 hectares, mainly due to labour shortages. Yet good producers achieve yields of 7–10 tonnes per hectare, and processors value Serbian garlic for its high dry matter content.

Prices are currently attractive at €2.2–2.3 per kg, well above the €0.8–0.9 of previous years. Costs are high, however: planting material alone accounts for around 51% of production costs.

Growing the sector will depend on access to quality planting material, stronger cooperation between producers and reliable sales channels, especially as retail chains require larger and more consistent volumes.

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