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On Thursday, 10 May 2012, Ambassador Mary Warlick and Serbian presidential candidate, Boris Tadic officially inaugurated the bio-gas digester at the Lazar Dairy farm in Gornja Dragusa, near Blace.

Ambassador Warlick stated that the Lazar Dairy investment in the biogas technology is important for the region and as Lazar Dairy continues to flourish, so will the company’s more than 2,000 suppliers.  She also noted that the bio-digester is one of the most significant technology transfers in Serbia, in both the agricultural and renewable energy sectors.  "This investment, which is one of the largest private sector investments in the entire region, is a milestone in waste management in Serbia and can demonstrate to other companies how investments in cleaner production technologies can also lead to greater profits."

Boris Tadic stated that expansion of the dairy sector into the energy sector is an investment in the deveopment of the whole country and if more farmers used similar tehnology, they could produce almost as much energy as the Obrenovac power plant.

Tadic also added, "This illustrates the sort of contribution we can expect agriculture to make in the sphere of energy production. On the other hand, this is also a matter of environmental protection, cost rationalization and the optimal use of all natural resources available in Serbia."

Dusan Petrovic, Minister of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management was also present. He noted that the biogas digester, expected to produce a megawatt of electrical energy is a small technological wander and represents complimentary profitin food production.

Lazar Dairy has invested $2.6 million in the purchase and the installation of the U.S. bio-gas technology which will solve the company's issues relating to biodegradable waste from the farm and the dairy production line, while using the waste for generating energy for the production of biogas and electricity.

The installation of the bio-digester represent one of the most significant technology transfers in the spheres of agriculture and renewable sources of energy and one of the largest local level investments in the South of Serbia region, providing potential for further development of the livestock and dairy sectors as well as the region.  

This technology transfer was initiated through a United States Department for Agriculture (USDA) project aimed at promoting renewable energy resources in Serbian agriculture, while the USAID Agribusiness Project played an instrumental role in introducing this technology to the dairy and livestock sectors in Serbia. 

Lazar Dairy started operating in 1994 with two employees. Today, the company employs 180 people and has a production capacity of 80,000 liters a day. Over 2,100 households from the region supply the company.

The USAID Agribusiness Project has been supporting Serbia's dairy sector since 2008 and has helped dairies implement international food safety and quality standards, introduce new technologies, form a national dairy association and assist in marketing and export oriented activities.

The importance for Serbia to join the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and protect plant breeders’ rights was stressed today by Dr. Jan Bocanski, Director of the Plant Protection Directorate, during the official opening of a conference held today at Sava Center in Belgrade. He also mentioned that Serbia is expected to become a member of UPOV this year.

The conference was co-hosted by Serbia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, GIZ, and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Agribusiness Project. 

UPOV is an international body with 70 member nations that jointly work to protect new plant varieties as intellectual property.  

 “UPOV membership requires a lot of effort, new rules and regulations, but it will ultimately put Serbia in a better situation on the global market and help attract foreign investments to Serbia” said Adri De Roo, Agricultural Counselor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

“Now that the plant breeders can be assured that their rights will be protected in Serbia, Serbian producers will have access to the newest and best varieties that are in high demand in international markets. Serbian exporters will also be able to demand higher prices,” said Rebecca Krzywda, USAID’s Senior Office Director.

The aim of the conference was to raise awareness about the importance of UPOV membership, promote an understanding of plant breeders’ rights, review enforcement issues, and highlight best practices and case studies.  Experts from Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Netherlands also spoke at the event and presented best practices from their countries.

Serbia adopted the Law on Protection of Plant Breeders' Rights in 2009, upholding the principles of the UPOV Convention and the WTO Agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. The adoption and implementation of this law is a precondition for Serbia's membership in the UPOV.

During the months of February and March, Rick Dale, a prominent U.S. blueberry expert will be providing support and assistance to blueberry producers in Serbia as part of the Blueberry Production, Storage and Packaging Support Program implemented by the USAID Agribusiness Project.

In addition to production expansion support and blueberry market placement globally, the aim of this program is the initiation and establishment of new production through support to producer organizations and extension services in the less developed areas of Serbia. 

The program is being implemented in the regions of Vranje, Vlasinsko jezero, Novi Pazar, Raska, Prijepolje, Krusevac, Bajina Basta, Belanovica and Arilje. Apart from local producers, producer organizations and extension services providers, the trainings will be attended by producers from the region. 

By taking part in the program, producers will obtain technical and advisory support as to be able to produce higher quality products, increase yields and ensure adequate handling of blueberry from the time of harvest until delivery.

USAID's support to blueberry production in Serbia dates back to 2006 and has included the support in financing the purchase of the planting material, provision of technical and advisory services, implementation of international food safety and quality standards, market research and the promotion of the fruit on the local and international market. By the end of 2011, approximately 100 families and/ or companies in Serbia were producing blueberry within 80 hectares of land. The sales exceeded USD 400,000, of which USD 250,000 in sales was achieved by exports to EU and Russian markets. The National Blueberry Association was established in 2009 with the support of the USAID Agribusiness Project, and it is currently actively working with its members on advancing production and exports.

Excellent profits, good quality and high demand, on the local as well as the international market, are the main reasons behind such a high and steadily growing interest amongst the potential blueberry producers. One of the reasons behind the fruit's global popularity is its high nutrition value and health benefits. The high costs involved in establishing production have not deterred the expansion of production in Serbia. On average, 15 hectares of new production is established in Serbia annually.

Through a combination of technical and financial assistance to date, the USAID Agribusiness Project has strongly supported Serbian berry fruit industry to improve productivity and product safety and quality, introduce new products, apply latest technologies and access new export markets.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) training, organized by USAID Agribusness Project in collaboration with local institutions and extension services is currently taking place throughout Serbia. More than 500 producers, extension service providers and other relevant actors in the field of fruit production are attending the training.

The aim of the training is to present the main principles of integrated pest management in order to initiate necessary changes in the field of pest management and avoid the risk of pesticide residue presence in fruit for the local and international markets.

Producers will be presented with measures of pest management which do not solely rely on the use of pesticides and these include prognosis for disease occurrence, agro- technical and biological methods of prevention, the importance of the pre-harvest period and avoidance of resistance to certain chemical compounds.

Adequate application of integral pest management measures is of key importance for further development of the fruit sector as it improves the quality and health safety of products, reduces production csts and reduces the risks of environmental contamination. All this contributed to increasing the competitiveness of products on the global market.

The training sessions carried out by Professor Dr. Novica Miletic from the Agricultural University in Zemun, will take place in Sabac, Cacak, Arilje and Aleksinac.

Through a combination of technical and financial assistance to date, the USAID Agribusiness Project has strongly supported Serbian fruit industry to improve productivity and product food safety, introduce new products, apply latest technologies and access new export markets.

During the months of February and March 2012, the USAID Agribusiness Project will carry out a series of trainings with the aim of assisting the diversification of berry fruit production in Serbia. The trainings will be carried out by eminent Serbian berry fruit experts in Surdulica, Vladicin Han, Kursumlija, Novi Pazar, Rekovac, Priboj, Prijepolje, Bajina Basta, Ljubovija and Mali Zvornik, and will target Producer Organizations such as Associations and Cooperatives.

Topics covered in the training include all aspects relating to growing new crop varieties such as chokeberries, gooseberries, red and black currants, and wild strawberries as well as the introduction of new technologies in growing raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Participants will be introduced to latest technology advances, sources of supply as well as market opportunities.

Diversification through the introduction of new berry varieties and higher value processed products is a crucial step for Serbian berry producers and exporters in order to sustain their existing market, increase their global market share and competitiveness and increase profits.

Through a combination of technical and financial assistance to date, the USAID Agribusiness Project has strongly supported Serbian berry industry to improve productivity and product food safety, introduce new products, apply latest technologies and access new export markets.

The Project’s assistance in production diversification will continue in spring and summer months by provision of field advisory assistance to producers who invested into the establishment of new or modernization of their existing fields.