Serbia: Even greenhouses are affected by climate change

Climate change brings new diseases to greenhouses

Last summer the climate change consequences were visible on almost all fields across Serbia. Although not as obvious, extremely high temperatures also cause significant problems in covered production. Due to extremely high outside temperatures, plants need to be regularly cooled. Diseases and pests that were not present in Serbia a decade ago are appearing more frequently. "Due to climate change, we will have to change the types of greenhouses because it will be very difficult to maintain production in the existing ones. The temperature inside a greenhouse is 15–20 degrees higher than outside, so shading is mandatory. This involves high costs. Additionally, we will have to implement automatic irrigation systems to water and cool the plants more frequently," says farmer Sabolč Čikoš. He adds that with the increase in average temperatures, pests are attacking plants earlier, and new species have emerged that did not exist in this region fifteen years ago. Farmers say that ten years ago, thrips and mites were present, but in much smaller numbers than today. "Winters are mild, and these pests survive in the soil. As soon as temperatures rise, they start multiplying, and they are difficult to control. The plant protection products we use are effective, but the problem is that insects reproduce much faster now. For example, ten years ago, we had five generations of certain insects per season, and now we see up to ten generations in a single summer," Čikoš explains for national broadcaster RTS . Experts confirm that greenhouse production has been facing increasing challenges in recent years. If this trend continues, growers will have to implement measures to prevent greenhouse overheating and reduce the time between irrigation cycles. Additionally, a different approach to nutrient application will be necessary due to the accelerated plant growth phases, as well as improved disease and pest control methods. "When selecting pesticides, farmer should consider the short ripening period of crops. Therefore, we recommend integrated protection using pesticides with a short pre-harvest interval or biological products, along with the use of traps," says Snezana Paradjenovic from the Forecasting and Reporting Service (PIS) in Zrenjanin.

Electricity and heating from biogas – a potential for energy and environmental benefits

Serbia has enormous potential for renewable energy from organic waste. Last year, only 200.000 tons of waste were processed, but the capacity could be up to 15 times higher. Bioenergy can be obtained from agricultural, livestock, and food industry waste, as well as from food discarded by households, restaurants, and institutions. Although the construction of biogas power plants began 13 years ago, Serbia currently has only 44. Such plant can supply around 300 households with  heating and electricity. "According to our estimates, we could easily build 400 facilities. I emphasize the term ‘facilities’ because, so far, we have mainly discussed biogas power plants, but biogas can also be used to produce biomethane. If we build these facilities, we could replace a significant amount of natural gas with biomethane," said Goran Knezevic, president of the "Biogas Serbia" Association and reports national broadcaster RTS.

Experts agree that this is an untapped resource that could bring Serbia not only energy benefits but also significant environmental advantages. "Why do we call it an untapped potential? Because it contributes significantly to decarbonization, as one ton of waste emits one ton of CO₂. For example, in the city of Belgrade alone, 300.000 meals are prepared daily in the public sector. Even if just 10 grams of food waste remain per meal, the potential becomes clear," explained Sinisa Mitrovic from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. Germany is leading country in Europe with 11.000 biogas power plants. Their Biogas Association is helping the Serbian association develop technology and expand the market. "One young man transformed his family pig farm into a biogas plant, providing 100 villagers with heating. Recently, they also began generating electricity, which now powers electric vehicle chargers in the community," said Verena Fahler from the German Biogas Association. The German government supports biogas sector development in Serbia. "Subsidies are essential, which is why Serbia needs to work on a new legislative framework," emphasized Judit Hofman from the German Embassy in Serbia.

Citizens are interested in the price of food and energy      

Citizens of Serbia are boycotting retail chains because of the constant rise in prices, even though the government claims that inflation is under control. Economists believe that high food prices, excise taxes and costs passed on to consumers contribute to long-term inflation. The Commission for the Protection of Competition is still silent about the possible cartel agreement of the retail chains. Low competition in the market is also a problem, which is why citizens themselves resort to boycotts. The Central Bank maintains a high interest rate (5.75%), while the European Central Bank announces its lowering. Economist Djorjde Djukic explains that oil prices, as a key energy source, currently do not have an upward trend, which does not provide a basis for an additional price jump. Nevertheless, despite the favourable situation with energy prices, inflation in Serbia still remains high, and the institutions do not take concrete measures to protect citizens from rising living costs reports daily Danas.

Sugar beet price set

Sunoko, a member of MK Group, announced on their website that the sowing of sugar beet has begun and that the company will continue to support its partners and agricultural producers this year as well. For the needs of this year's processing in Sunoko's sugar factories, approximately 23.000 hectares will be planted with sugar beet, the company stated. It was emphasized that Sunoko has provided its partners with high-quality seeds, pesticides, and nitrogen fertilizers. In addition to production materials, the company has also secured cash advances of 300 EUR per hectare for its farmers to support the start of production. This year's sugar beet price has been set at 45 EUR per ton for a sugar content of 16%. "On fields where full agrotechnical measures and protection strategies recommended by our Research and Development Center were applied last season, exceptional results were achieved. This proves that we have technology capable of handling extreme drought conditions, such as those experienced last year," said Sunoko's General Director, Slobodan Kosutic. He added that after a winter marked by low precipitation, the current rainy conditions will help improve conditions for sowing and sugar beet production this season. "Our country has great potential in sugar production, and I believe this is an opportunity we can capitalize on to expand exports to European markets," Kosutic stated. It was also emphasized that this year's expected production will fully meet domestic sugar demand while also allowing room for increased exports.