Serbian-Dutch cooperation discussed at Poultry Business Forum

A gathering of Serbia’s poultry professionals

Last week, the 8^th Poultry Business Forum, an annual professional gathering of stakeholders in the poultry sector in  Serbia and the wider Western Balkan region took place in Arandjelovac in Central Serbia. Prior to the event kicking off, the Dutch Embassy, together with the Dutch Poultry Expertise Centre and Schippers BV visited the farm Panovo, a regional representative of Hendrix Genetics, discussing challenges and opportunities in the poultry sector and having a closer look at their breeding, rearing and hatching facilities.

At the Poultry Business Forum a panel discussion was specifically dedicated to highlight the cooperation between the Dutch and Serbian poultry professionals, which have intensified relations over the last couple of years working on animal health and welfare, among other topics.   The annual gathering once again provided an  excellent platform to deepen the cooperation to the benefit of everyone involved.  

Severe weather calamities halved harvest yield

Serbia's agricultural sector has faced severe challenges this year, with frost, hail, and drought drastically reducing crop yields and potentially halving the sector's gross added value, estimated at € 4 billion last year.

Mr. Miroslav Malesevic, a retired professor from the Faculty of Agriculture from Novi Sad, said that he could not remember a year with such consistently high temperatures with no rain. Sugar beet crops have dried up in some places and only sunflower crops have barely survived, he said. The Novi Sad Faculty of Agriculture professor Zoran Keserovic said that the damage to fruit crops totaled 300,000 tons.

“This will be the direct damage caused by frost, hail and bad weather. If a kilogram costs 0.7 euro cents, that equals to €210 million,” Keserovic said. Agricultural economist Milan Prostran said that the damage could be much higher than €500 million initially predicted. He added that corn crops occupied one million hectares of land and if the expected yields were six million tons and the damage is anticipated at 30% of the total yield, around $300 million would be lost.

According to agricultural economist Zarko Galetin due to drought and extremely high temperatures, Serbia is expected to see a decrease in corn yields and the damage to the corn crop alone could range from $400 to 500 million. "The reduction in corn yield is anticipated to be between 25% and 30% compared to last year. However, since the planted area has increased to approximately 960,000 hectares, the overall decrease in quantity will be slightly less," Galetin stated in an interview to the Tanjug news agency. He added that total production would range between four and five million tons, which would suffice for the domestic market, but the export potential would be limited and dependent on last year's reserves.

United Farmers' Associations requested state help due to drought

The United Farmers' Associations of Serbia have sent a request to the Government of Serbia and the National Assembly, urging the immediate implementation of measures to mitigate the effects of the ongoing drought. They have warned that if their demands are not met, they will organize farmer protests across the country within the next 15 days. The request, emphasizes the need for a delay in the repayment of all agricultural loans, the immediate payment of state subsidies per hectare for certified seeds, and the settlement of all state obligations to farmers from public calls since the beginning of this year. The letter to the government and parliament also demands the resolution of issues previously raised by farmers, but "with clear deadlines for implementation," the provision of duty-free fuel for farmers at gas stations, and the resolution of problems related to farmers' pension and disability insurance.

Additionally, the associations call for accountability from all those responsible for agriculture's dire state and demand the dismissal of the Director of the Serbian Hydrometeorological Institute.

During hunting season, 50 thousand quails fall victim to poaching

It is estimated that during the hunting season in Serbia, between 600 and 1,000 electronic decoys are used by poachers to lure quails into range, resulting in the illegal hunting of approximately 50,000 quails. As the hunting season approaches, the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (DZPPS) has made available on its website a map showing all recorded cases of decoy use since 2000.

The organization is urging citizens to report such illegal activities to the relevant authorities to prevent the continued slaughter of these birds. "When people hear 'quail,' they often think of domesticated quail species raised for their eggs, unaware that we are talking about the wild quail (Coturnix coturnix), a natural inhabitant of our meadows and fields, the smallest wild game bird, about the size of an adult man's fist," explains DZPPS.

This charming bird rarely flies and spends most of its time on the ground, where it feeds and breeds. Problems for this species intensify in August when quails begin their journey of several thousand kilometers to their wintering grounds in North and Sub-Saharan Africa. DZPPS highlights that electronic decoys are particularly dangerous because they disrupt the migratory paths of these birds, luring them to unsuitable habitats such as fields heavily treated with pesticides. This affects the birds' health and readiness for the long migration, for those that survive. Serbian laws, including the Law on Nature Protection, the Law on Wildlife and Hunting, and several international treaties, prohibit using electronic decoys on hunting grounds. According to Serbia's Criminal Code, using these devices in hunting grounds is a criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence ranging from six months to three years.

Piglet prices halved since Easter

Retail prices of pork in Serbia have halved since the Easter holidays, though the market has stabilized with occasional fluctuations, agroanalyst Goran Djakovic stated for the Tanjug news agency. He noted that the purchase price of piglets recently ranged from €2.56/kg in the southern regions of the country to €3.8/kg in central and western parts of the country.

According to the Agricultural Market Information System of Serbia (STIPS), slaughterhouses in the Sabac area increased the purchase price of piglets weighing 16 to 25 kilograms, with a dominant price of €3.8/kg. "After the extraordinarily high prices of piglets around Easter holidays, the situation calmed, and an expected price drop occurred as demand decreased. We are now at the end of summer holiday season, which has further reduced demand, particularly for piglets. The same applies to larger pigs," Djakovic explained. He added that the hot weather and summer fasting have also contributed to decreased demand. Djakovic mentioned that prices are expected to rise again in the fall due to increased demand ahead of the winter feast season and holidays.