Serbia: Agriculture events, new technologies, expanding trade and agriculture robots

Food Festival by Ahold Delhaize

Ahold Delhaize (AD) organized their second Food Festival in Belgrade last week, gathering Serbian fresh produce suppliers from all over the country. Delhaize Serbia  is the biggest retail chain in the country and is currently employing more than 13,000 people in various positions in over 500 stores, their distribution center, and the departments for internet sales and support services.

As a leading retail chain in the country it introduced higher quality standards  for  fresh products on its shelves. Together with the Faculty for Agriculture of the University of Belgrade they have set up a certification model to “ensure zero residues of pesticides in fruits and vegetables”. This standard has been implemented by more than 200 local producers that supply Delhaize Serbia on a regular basis. Delhaize Serbia is furthermore trying to shorten its supply chains. In 2022 the company  purchased more than 54 thousand tons of fresh fruit and vegetables locally. That accounted for 48.7% of total fresh produce sold. This year the target is 50% of locally sourced fresh produce.

Jan-Willem Dockheer, CEO of Delhaize Serbia stated that it is a company strategy to make the path from farm to fork as short as possible. With that aim, Delhaize Serbia is actively promoting companies taking up the role of so-called aggregators to organize the production of small scale farmers  around them.

During a panel debate the challenges of Serbian producers were discussed by two representatives of aggregators, Igor Milenkovic from Delta Agrar and Ana Bosnjak from AgroBel System and Tijana Radicevic Kos, a representative of small agriculture farm that delivers its produce to Agro Bel System.

The aggregators explained that some farmers were hesitant to implement new standards in their production methods. It took some time and trainings in order to change their mindset and the approach of local producers. The need for improved organization of Serbian farmers was underlined as well.

Sharing best practice from the Netherlands, Agricultural Counsellor at the Dutch Embassy in Belgrade, Koen van Ginneken, explained that Dutch excellence in food production did not come overnight but are the outcome of close cooperation in the so called golden triangle between the public sector, businesses and research institutions. Mr. Ginneken furthermore underlined the importance of cooperation among farmers  and the role innovation played in increasing both economic and ecological sustainability  in the Dutch agrifood sector.

AgriSummit.Tech conference

The first regional conference “AgriSummit.Tech” was organized in Belgrade on June 8-9. The  conference, which was dedicated to the application of practical digital and technological (ICT) solutions in the field of agriculture gathered participants from the wider West Balkans region. The first day was dedicated to presentations and panel discussions about digitalization in agriculture with a focus on fruit and vegetable sub-sectors as well as beekeeping and viticulture.

About 170 manufacturers, providers of digital solutions, business associations, cooperatives, experts, representatives of universities, development and research organizations from Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Croatia were present at the conference.

The goal of the conference was to increase the application of digital and innovative solutions among regional actors through the exchange of knowledge. The second day was reserved for field visits where practical examples, such as the AgAR – Agricultural Autonomous Robot were presented. AgAR can mount robotic and standardized add-ons on the platform for a variety of activities (among other things for harvesting, mowing, transporting and monitoring). To guarantee future accessibility of the software, AgAR is developed with Robotic Operating System, an open-source software framework.

Serbian honey in China soon

Members of the Serbian Beekeeping Society expect thatvery soon, for the first time, Serbian honey will be exported to China. According to the president of the association, Rodoljub Zivadinovic, Agriculture Minister Jelena Tanaskovic recently signed an export protocol in China.

Chinese inspection has yet to approve facilities from Serbia that export honey and accept the export approval given by Serbia. “Currently the most important thing is to find the right customers. We would like to work with only two or three buyers. We would provide them a reliable source of real honey, and for us, they would be a reliable way to sell our honey,” said Zivadinovic.

He explained that the Serbian Beekeeping Society was looking for buyers for the export of honey in the Far East and Arab countries because for a year no one in Europe wanted quality honey. According to him, more than half of the honey imported to Europe in the past year is not honey at all, which has led to significant price decrease. “We cannot give honey below the production price. Honey at the low prices can only be sold by someone who does not have real honey and added some substances to it. Serbian beekeepers, at least those who are members of our organization, do not have such honey for sale,” Zivadinovic pointed out. He reiterated that the Serbian Beekeeping Society in Raca built its own facility for processing honey. “The facility is extraordinary. We are the only ones in Serbia to have three certifications that are important even for the most demanding customers. Of course, everyone must have HACCP standard. We also introduced Halal for themost sophisticated Arab markets, and we also have BRC 8,” says Zivadinovic. The Serbian Beekeeping Society was founded in 1897 and currently gathers around 8.000 beekeepers.

Parliament’s committee on agriculture suggests purchase of 250.000 tons of wheat for commodity reserves

The Agriculture Committee of Serbian parliament suggested to the line Ministry and the Serbian government to protect raspberry and seed producers as well as to purchase 250.000 tons of wheat at the price of €0.21 per kilogram for Commodity Reserves in the upcoming harvest. Minister of Agriculture Jelena Tanaskovic stated in front of the committee that the 2023 agricultural budget, including the latest subsidies agreed with associations of farmers last month, had increased from €684 million to €964 million. Tanaskovic also said that seven agreed measures for supporting farmers were already in place and that the e-agrar service had been launched within the set deadline. She explained that it would be defined in 2024 budget who would be entitled to the special diesel price.

The Minister also explained that geographical indications for certain products are underway. Tanaskovic dismissed the allegation of certain Committee members that Serbia had been exporting very small quantities of meat, while the import had been more than tenfold greater. Citing Customs Administration figures, she said that in the first quarter of 2023, Serbia exported 27.104 tons of meat, and imported around 2.000 tons.