News

The presentation of Study on the Effects of Weather and Anti-hail Protection Modalities in Serbia took place today at in the premises of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Belgrade.

The Study was initiated with the aim of acquiring information on the status of existing system for hail protection and its capabilities and capacities as it relates to agricultural production. The Study also provides an analysis of existing anti-hail protection modalities used globally, possibilities for investment in the local system and provides a specific insight into anti-hail protection systems that are of relevance in fruit production.

A large number of stakeholders attended the public presentation including experts in the area of metrology, natural sciences and economics; authors of the study; representatives of public and academic institutions; fruit producers; anti-hail equipments suppliers; representatives of banks and insurance companies as well as representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic core.

Following the public presentation and discussion the USAID Agribusiness Project will initiate the implementation of the recommendations of the Study. Activities aimed at establishing and effective Anti-hail Protection System in Serbia will be initiated and carried out in collaboration with the Government of Serbia, International organization, donors and other relevant stakeholders.

Training sessions for Serbian farmers in safe pesticide use and environmental protection will be conducted in 42 Serbian municipalities in June and July by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management.  

The classes are designed to raise awareness about the safe use and handling of pesticides. The trainings will be conducted by experts from 33 Agricultural Extension Service Stations in Serbia. 

The first round of trainings, held in 2009, resulted in 475 agricultural producers being awarded Certificates of Competence in the Safe Use of Pesticides and Environmental Protection and 38 educators receiving training licenses.  Those sessions were conducted in collaboration with the Directorate of Plant Protection of the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management.

The current classes for agricultural producers in Safe Pesticide Use and Environmental Protection will cover such issues as: pesticides and their use; the appropriate types of safety clothing and equipment to se during handling; the impact of pesticides on human health; symptoms and first aid in case of pesticide poisoning; appropriate storage of pesticides; validation and calibration of equipment used to apply pesticides; application and disposal of unused pesticides and used pesticide containers; pest resistance; and environmental considerations when using pesticides.    

The classes are meant to help ensure that food that is safe for human and animal consumption and to protect the health of farmers and the environment.  Improper pesticide handling and use can harm agricultural producers through direct exposure and the general population through the consumption of pesticide residues and through soil and water contamination.

The production of healthy, high-quality human and animal food is vital for the Serbian economy.  Many countries have adopted standards to ensure the safety and quality of food and animal feed.  These standards represent restrictions for the export of Serbian agricultural products unless they can be met or exceeded.

Susan Fritz, Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Serbia and Mette Kjuel Nielsen, the Ambassador of Denmark to Serbia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding today to provide a framework for the future cooperation between USAID and the Danish Embassy, in providing assistance to Serbian berry and fruit sectors.

Through this alliance both parties seek to combine their respective strengths, experiences and resources to meet their collective goal of expanding and improving Serbia's berry and fruit sectors. In a joint effort, assistance will be provided to Government of Serbia institutions, business owners, and farmers for EU accession preparation; private sector development; increased exports; improved income generation; reduced migration; and job creation, particularly among youth and women.

Assistance will specifically be provided to the producers, processors and exporters of raspberry, sour cherry, strawberry, blueberry and plum in the southern Serbia districts of Jablanica, Nisava, Pcinj and Toplica. Some of the concrete areas of cooperation between the two parties include marketing and promotion activities locally and internationally, and training and capacity development.

A conference entitled - Serbian Berry Fruit Industry - Time for change? - took place on Friday the 5th of May 2011 in the premises of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Belgrade. The Conference was organized by the USAID Agribusiness Project in collaboration with the Coldstores Association of Serbia and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

The event was opened by Mr. Milan Prostran, the General Secretary of the agricultural association of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Louis Faoro, Director of the USAID Agribusiness Project; Kolinda Hrehorović, Advisor for Fruit Production and Processing at the Government of Serbia Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management and Mr. Slobodan Žunić, the President of the Coldstores Association of Serbia.

Milan Prostran - "The annual production of fruit amounts to approximately 1,300,000 tones, yet, it used to be more in the past. The value of production last year came to approximately $532 million, which is 14.8% less then in 2009." He also noted that value adding processing is something that is still missing, although Serbia used to be well known for this kind of production in the past. "This is something foreign investors should take note of as there are opportunities in this sector; however, this should be accompanied with investments in fruit production."

Louis Faoro - "With the average annual production of raspberry amounting to 85,000 tones, of which 85% is exported, Sebia is the largest exporter of raspberry in the world. It's vital that Serbia maintains this position, however, with no effort, there is no guarantee that that will be so.To maintain and build on its competitiveness, the industry needs to simultaneously work on increasing quality, invest in higher value processing, lower the costs of poduction and processing, extend the season and put emphasis on marketing and promotion."

Kolinda Hrehorovic, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management, stated that investments in the fruit sector should be targeted at improving the quality and standards of fruit; introduction of new production technologies; new and improved storage capacities; and the acquisition of new specialized equipment.

Goran Zivkov - "Raspberry is Serbia's success, achieved through years of effort by people whom recognized the potential and developed it. The present situation can be put to risk should EU export licenses be lost due to inadequate regulation of pesticide use or in case of new demands from the EU relating to the actual production of fruits, such as integral production."

The aim of the conference was to gather all relevant representatives of this important agricultural sector so that agreement can be made as to what are the necessary activities that need to be carried out in order to improve the sector's competitiveness in the global markets.

Apart from an analysis of the current state of affairs on the local and foreign berry fruit markets, the results of a detailed analysis of the Russian berry fruit market were presented as well as recommendations for improving the presence of Serbian berry fruit on the Russian market in addition to other relevant markets.

The Conference brought together a large number of representatives of production and processing companies, agribusiness advisory companies, input providers as well as the representatives of educational, scientific, governmental and international institutions.

Since the onset of the USAID Agribusiness Project, various activities have been carried out with the aim to extend berry fruit verities, insure consistent productivity growth and increase exports of Serbian berry fruit. Some of the activities also include advisory and technical assistance in introducing new varieties; ensuring effective presentation at international trade fairs and shows; networking with buyers and input suppliers; introduction of new technologies and specialized trainings so that companies can improve their marketing, sales and organizational capacities.

A total of 130 food companies and producer organizations from ten municipalities will participate in 50 business skills training workshops, organized by USAID. The workshops will be held in ten different municipalities in the period between April 11th and June 31st and are designed to help companies increase the competitiveness of their products and prepare them for participation at regional and international food fairs, thus helping them access foreign markets and increase their export.

The training will be conducted in cooperation with Regional Chambers of Commerce; Local Economic Development offices from Zaječar, Vranje, Valjevo, Kruševac, Užice, Niš, Leskovac, Kraljevo; and support from the Municipalities of Novi Pazar and Nova Varoš.  

The training program will cover topics such as: the development of strategic and business plans; Professional selling skills; Trade fairs and business linking and networking; Integrated marketing communication, and others. 

“The surprisingly large number of companies which applied for the training certainly indicates that there is a need and desire for the further improvement of business skills. Our companies obviously recognize the importance of accessing foreign markets and want to prepare themselves better for the competition, both on the local as well as the international market. Through this training program we want to provide companies with concrete help and support to help them compete.” – said Nenad Popadic, Financial Advisor, USAID Agribusiness Project. . 

Companies and cooperatives which successfully complete this training program will have an opportunity to participate in the “Culinaria Fine Food Show”, to be organized in Belgrade, September 28-30, 2011, with support from USAID and the Zizgin Company.