News
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The first regular shipment of dairy products from the Sabac dairy departed today for USA. For a few years now, Serbian cheeses, mostly feta, are being exported to the USA, but today is the first time that a Serbian dairy sends a shipment of famous Serbian curd known as “kajmak” to the States.
Sabac Dairy presented it’s products to the USA market for the first time in 2009, during the prestigious fine food fair, Fancy Food Show, which is annualy held in New York. In 2010, sabac Dairy sent a trial shipment to the USA and the products were sold out in a record time, resulting in signing a contract for regular shipment to the USA.
For several years, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is working together with Serbian dairies to help them increase exports to the region and gain access to new foreign markets.
One of the biggest chalenges Serbian Dairy industry faces is export to highly demanding EU, Russian and USA markets. Most of dairies do not posess quality standard certificates which are mandatory to export to EU market. The management of the Sabac dairy plans to obtain relevant certificates and licences to export to EU countries by the end of this year.
A large number of small dairy industries with limited conditions for development, insufficient milk reception and cooling units, and lower quality raw materials are the main problems facing the dairy industry in Serbia.
In 2009, USAID in partnership with Veterinary Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and USDA begun work on harmonization of the Serbian veterinary certificates with requirements for importing into the United States. This activity resulted in harmonization of the veterinary certificates between two countries, thus creating conditions for export of Serbian dairy goods to the U.S. market.
USAID supported the presentation of the Sabac Dairy at the Fancy Food Fair in New York, and helped this company in demanding preparations and labeling of the products according to the standards of the importing country.
At today’s press conference, Louis Faoro, USAID Agribusiness Project Chief of Party, said that USAID will continue to work together with Serbian dairies in order to place their products on EU and Russian markets.
„We hope that the Sabac Dairy will be a role model and encourage other smaller dairies to start looking for new, larger markets“, Louis Faoro.
Strategic orientation of the USAID Agribusiness Project is aimed at cooperation with dairies and national and regional institutions as to identify measures to improve the dairy sector in Serbia. The following activities are being carried out: farm management improvement; establishment of the regional centers for education of milk producers; programs for improving the efficiency of the processes in dairies; establishment of the dairy clusters based on the common interests in order to create distinctive authority in dairy industry.
Sabac Dairy has been operating for over 70 years; it joined „Farmakom MB“ in 2004, following privatisation. Prior to privatisation, the dairy produced around 100 tons of milk per day, and now, it ammounts to 260 tons of milk daily. The enhancement of the dairy and its production process never ceases, and bearing in mind the incessant investment inflow and capacity increase, it is realistic to assume that the dairy will soon start processing 400 000 liters of milk on a daily basis.
The representatives of Lazar Dairy and GHD Inc. from Wisconsin, USA, signed today a contract for the construction of a biogas digester on a dairy farm in Blace, South Serbia. The total investment is in the amount of $1.5 million, while the majority of the cost of the biogas digester pertains to associated infrastructure investments at the farm.
It is expected that the digester will be fully operational by September 2011 and as such, it will represent one of the most significant technology transfers in the spheres of agriculture and renewable sources of energy. This will also be 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.
With the use of the new technology, Lazar Dairy will solve 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 expected return on investment is approximately three years.
Ms. Susan Fritz, USAID Serbia Mission Director pointed out that the application of appropriate technology in the treatment of waste is of great importance for agriculture because it not only represents environmentally sound best practice but also provides considerable savings, thus increasing profits.
"Lazar Dairy has recognized the potential of using green technologies. Of course, the energy laws provide us with substantial subsidy incentives for producing energy thus allowing us to increase our competitiveness..... Taking into consideration that our investment is in many ways ground breaking, we expect the relevant government institutions to provide us with the necessary assistance is obtaining the appropriate permits and subsequently provide the necessary linkages to Serbia’s energy system.” - Milan Vidojević, Director of Lazar Dairy.
This activity was initiated by the United States Department for Agriculture (USDA) through a 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 160 people and has a production capacity of 80,000 liters a day. Over 2,500 households from the region supply the company.
The USAID Agribusiness Project is financed by the United States Agency for International Development and its principal goals relate to increasing the export of Serbian agricultural produce and the creation of employment in the sector. Project activities are focused on increasing competitiveness of companies operating within the six agricultural sectors.
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The finest selection of fresh produce from Serbia will be presented to buyers between the 9th and 11th of February at the Fruit Logistica.
Delicious Serbian peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, Braeburn and Golden Delicious apples; Famous Serbian peppers, tomatoes, leeks as well as truffles and wild mushrooms of all sorts, await international buyers in Berlin.
The team of companies taking part in Fruit Logistica this year are members of the Fruits of Serbia Association and they are: Lucuc Group, Planten, PIK Juzni Banat, Agrar Comerc, Igda Impex, Agroprom Com, Atos Vinum, Sagal, Fruit Land Association, Coolfood, ZZ Prima borovnica and Natura coop. The Fruits of Serbia Association was assisted in organizing this exibition by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Serbia.
The export of Serbian fresh produce has experienced considerable growth in the last couple of years. The quick adoption of the latest harvesting and post harvest techniques, rapid implementation of GlobalGAP, ISO and Organic certification and the introduction of new varieties suitable for the fresh market has ensured that Serbia establishes itself as one of the most trusted exporters in South Eastern Europe.
Get connected with representatives of twelve leading fresh produce exporting companies and view their exquisite selection of delicacies, every day from 09:00 to 18:00 in Hall 1.1. D 06.
Present at the stand will also be the representatives of the Fruits of Serbia Association. For all enquiries you may contact a representative directly at the stand or by Telephone: +381 (11) 2606 158 and by E-Mail: hladnjacesrbije@yahoo.com.
The Fruits of Serbia Association gathers nurseries, research institutes, producers, processors and other relevant entities. It was established in 2008 and was the first such association in Serbia. Its members recognized common concerns and interests in the field of production, processing and export of fruits and vegetables. The activities of the Association aim to bring Serbia to the position of regional leader in fruit and vegetable production.
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Over 60 representatives of the diplomatic core, foreign Chambers of Commerce, large local & international companies and the media gathered yesterday at Hotel Hyatt in Belgrade to discuss how to make this year’s Culinaria Fine Food Show even better than the highly successful, 1st Culinaria Fine Food Show held in September 2010.
The organizers of the Culinaria Fine Food Show, the Zizgin Company and the USAID Agribusiness Project, held this event as part of a campaign to grow the fair to a level where it will become an essential venue on the fine food circuit for potential producers and buyers from around the world. .
The concept of the Culinaria Fine Food Show, scheduled to take place again this year in Belgrade between the 28th and 30th of September, generated considerable interest among those present.
Ms. Susan Fritz, the USAID Mission Director pointed out "Judging by the interest stimulated by last year's event, it is safe to say that Culinaria is on track to become the largest and most prestigious food industry event in the region".
During the first Culinaria Show that took place in 2010, 3000 visitors had the opportunity to meet and negotiate contracts with 79 companies from Serbia and 6 other countries. The organizers helped facilitate the attendance of 60 professional buyers from 14 countries. Amongst them were TESCO from the U.K. and Central Europe; Lidl from Croatia; retail chains and buyers from the region and some of the largest importers from the US and Canada. This program to support the attendance of international buyers will be carried out again this year.
The organizers have already begun promoting the Show at other major international shows - SIAL in Paris; InterFood and Drink in Sofia and Indagra in Bucharest. Promotions at Fruit Logistica in Berlin; Biofach in Neemberg; Ethnic Food in Brussels; MIHAS in Malaysia; Private Label in Amsterdam and World Food in Moscow will follow in the months ahead.
“Most often, the attendance at large international shows is limited to larger food producers and as such, the Culinaria Fine Food Show was conceived by USAID with the aim of bringing international buyers to Serbia. This will ensure that smaller Serbian companies get the chance to introduce their delicious products onto international markets,” says USAID's Remer Lane.
Apart from USAID, the Culinaria Fine Food Show was supported by the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Serbian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (SIEPA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
For more information on the Culinaria Fine Food Show, kindly visit www.culinariafinefood.com
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On Tuesday, 18th January 2011 in Hall 3/0 of the Sava Center in Belgrade, USAID in collaboration with NALED and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management will hold a half-day conference on the effects of trade liberalization on Serbian agriculture.
10.30 – 11.00 Registration of participants
Moderator: Ivana Dulić - Marković, Consultant, former Minister of Agriculture and Vice President of the Government of Serbia
11.00 – 11.20: TOPIC: Trade liberalization in agriculture and market development, European and multilateral integrations, and bilateral agreements
Miloš Milovanović, Assistant Minister, MAFWM of the Republic of Serbia
Vesna Arsić, State Secretary, MERD of the Republic of Serbia
Louis Faoro, Chief of Party, USAID Agribusiness Project
11.20 – 13.00: TOPIC: Effects of tariff liberalization on the agricultural sector -domestic and regional experience
Miroljub Labus, Economist, Faculty of Law
Aleksandar Stevanović, Economic Analyst, Center for Free Market
Goran Živkov, Consultant, SEEDEV
Miroslav Božić, Director of the Directorate for Agrarian Policy and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture of Croatia
Franc But, Ambassador of Slovenia in Serbia, former Minister of Agriculture of Slovenia
13.00 – 14.00: TOPIC: Panel discussion from the perspective of market participants: Implications of the tariff liberalization on business operations in agriculture; what needs to be done in order to mitigate negative effects and use opportunities
Vukosav Saković, Ljubiša Jovanović, Zoran Grozdanić, Lazar Đukić, Vaso Lekić, Bogdan Šumljanac, Miodrag Kostić, and other representatives of agricultural producers and processors, and leading export companies in agriculture.
