Expectations for the Serbian harvest

The wheat harvest to begin next week

The President of the Stig and Mlava Farmers' Association, Drasko Zivkovic, stated that the wheat harvest in Serbia could begin after July 10, if the rain does not delay it. He added that the harvest of early varieties of wheat has already started on smaller plots. The crop is in poor condition, although this may not be an indicator of this year’s wheat crop in general. "Farmers protected the wheat three times from various diseases. It rained even during the flowering period, which prevented pollination, so the yield is questionable," explained Zivkovic daily Danas reports. He hopes that the weather conditions, will not be like some years ago when it rained during the harvest time and the wheat germinated in the mud. According to Zivkovic, barley harvest has started and the yield is good, about five tons per hectare.

The president of the Independent Association of Serbian Farmers, Jovica Jaksic, said that the farmers who had applied all agro-tech measures could expect a good grain yield, as opposed to those who did not. “Wheat can lose 20 percent of its quality to rain in just a few days,” Jaksic explained. Jaksic also said that rape seed was harvested as well, and that the yield was quite good, between three and four tons per hectare, but that the price was very low, €0.35-0.36 per kilogram, contrary to last year’s €0.81 at the beginning of the harvest, and around 0.6 EUR later on.

According to the National Office for Statistics (RZS) , based on the state of the crops, it is expected that the production of wheat this year will be 3.755.000 tons, which is 20.8 percent more than last year.

The statement reads that the corn harvest will be 1.5 lower than previous year. Areas under soy and sunflower production are 4.6 and 14.8 percent higher respectively. Nevertheless, it is to be expected that sunflower yields will be 4.3 percent and for soy 10.3 percent lower. According to the RZS, the wheat harvest will be 36.2 percent higher than the 10-year average.

Higher percentage of African swine fever among domestic pigs

According to the report of the Veterinary Directorate of the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, since the beginning of the year, African swine fever has been registered in a total of 66 places and hunting grounds in Serbia. Data shows that as of June 30, the disease was found in more domestic than wild pigs. In Serbia,  the virus is not registered on large commercial farms, which would cause huge economic losses. The Ministry stated that the most infected pigs are located in the Braničevo district, followed by the Pčinj, South Banat districts.

Purchase price of raspberries can only be defined by market

The purchase price of raspberries can only be defined by the market, and anything else would be arbitrary and hasty, Minister of Agriculture Jelena Tanaskovic stated for national broadcaster RTS. She said  in November last year, a request was submitted to the National Bank of Serbia, which allowed a moratorium on the repayment of loans for unpaid raspberries in 2022. That was a support to the cold storers in order for them to pay the crop to the farmers.

“The Serbian government then approved another €17 million so that small and medium-sized cold storers who did not pay off the raspberries from the previous season can take a loan, the value of which we estimated at €2.56/kg, and pay the primary producers directly from that bank loan,” the Minister explained on RTS. When asked what the state's ability to influence cold storage companies is, the Minister said that the state creates an environment by controlling quality, regulating the system, monitoring what enters the country and what quality it is. “It is the environment that the state creates. The state cannot determine the price because it is determined by the market. You can't tell a private person that he/she had to pay a certain price and sell for another,” said the minister. On a separate note, the National Office for Statistics (RZS) estimates 15 percent lower yields of raspberries and less cherries by 11.9 percent this year.

When it comes to dairy farmers, she assessed that the situation is improving and that the import taxes have yielded results. "It is significant that milk demand has increased ince the measures were introduced and this indicates that the reserves have already been depleted. Some processors still have surpluses, but their storages are below half of the level of capacity that they had  when the Government introduced the import taxes,” stated Minister Tanaskovic. Speaking about the June floods, she pointed out that a lot of arable land, greenhouses and orchards were damaged in floods, and that the damage is still being assessed. “Agricultural crops are the most affected. The state will help its farmers, either in money or in the goods they lost,” said Tanaskovic.

Total of 3.8 million cubic meters of wood cut last year, mostly used as firewood

The volume of work on wood cut down in Serbia in 2022, compared to the previous year, has increased by 11%, the Statistical Office of Serbia announced. In the Belgrade region, it increased by 17%, in Vojvodina by 13%, in Sumadija & Western Serbia by 8%, and in Southern & Eastern Serbia by 14%. The total volume of wood felling in 2022 is about 3.8 million m³. The largest part of this wood, about 2.0 million m³ (54%), was used as firewood. The felling (gross) volume of wood in state-owned forests and outside forests amounts to about 2.8 million m³, and in private forests and outside forests about 913.000 m³.

EU mission to integrate Serbia into European economy

The European Union’s mission is to integrate the Serbian economy more into the European economy during the accession process, which would make it possible for Serbian businesses to enjoy broader access to markets and make them more competitive, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret said during a visit to Kragujevac, last month. “It means that we need to help the Serbian government create a better setting for Serbian businesses to thrive, innovate and grow,” the EU ambassador told the participants of an investment conference called “New Investment Opportunities”  hosted by Kragujevac’s Sumadija Fair. According to Giaufret, the EU is Serbia’s number one donor, trade partner and investor, which has been investing more than €50 million in Serbia’s growth every year. “We are trying to provide everything that Serbia’s economy needs to become as competitive as possible, and to be able to respond to new challenges," the EU ambassador to Serbia said.

Public calls for co-financing innovations in circular economy

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia have announced two public calls for co-financing innovations in the field of circular economy. With the financial support of the Global Environmental Fund (GEF), calls were opened for cooperation between science and business in the development and implementation of circular business models: integration of informal collectors of secondary raw materials into the waste management system. The best initiatives selected through those two public calls will be awarded with financial incentives amounting 10.000 USD each. The incentive will help put the solution into practice. “Last year, we had a call for cooperation between science and business. We had over 40 applications and 12 teams were awarded with circular vouchers,” said the coordinator of UNDP projects Ana Mitic Radulovic. She added that due to the huge success of that initiative last year, they decided to repeat the call and to format it into a specific program that will last for several years. Announcing the opening of public calls, the state secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Sandra Dokic, indicated that for the first time, innovative solutions aimed at including informal collectors of secondary raw materials in formal waste management processes will be supported. The goal of these calls is to support solutions that contribute to the efficient use of raw materials and energy, the reduction of harmful gas emissions, and thus the mitigation of climate change, as well as the improvement of the quality of life of vulnerable groups.