First International Gathering of Berry Farmers in Serbia Opens – Berry Business Forum

Around 120 local and regional farmers, experts from Serbia and the world, distributors, equipment producers and other representatives of the industry of berry fruit gathered on October 6 at the conference part of the Berry Business Forum. This two-day event is organized by Agro Belgrade, with the support of the USAID Competitive Economy Project, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Serbia and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The participants in the conference had the opportunity to learn about the production capacities and the export of berry fruit in Serbia, as well as the trends in the world market. Furthermore, there was talk about the procurement of quality seed materials, adaptation to the climate change and the financing of the production, which are the key topics for the further development of this promising sector.

– Berries have experienced a boom in the past years in the local market. There are more and more farmers with modern plantations, who invest in technologies, certificates, work force, which is the right way toward quality farming. We have realized that it is important to gather them in one place, to have them exchange their experiences, but also to hear advice from experts firsthand, as well as prognoses of the events in the world markets and customer demands, whether it’s a foreign distributor or a local retail store chain. That is why, in addition to the conference, the second day of the event is reserved for visiting modern plantations on Kosmaj and in Ruma – said Vladimir Zivanovic, the director of the organization Agro Belgrade.

– Serbia is traditionally a fruit farming country, and berries are becoming increasingly important. In addition to raspberries and blackberries, in the past years, blueberries have experienced a boom as well. The export of berries has reached a value of EUR 318 million in 2020, and the data from the first nine months of 2021, where a constant growth is recorded, are encouraging as well. What we need to work on in order to increase the competitiveness of this sector is to have new plantations established, with certified plantations and with the use of the best technological and scientific achievement, to have our products branded and to jointly present ourselves to international customers – stated Velimir Stanojevic, the state secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Serbia.

– People all over the world should have the opportunity to eat the excellent Serbian food, and Serbian farmers and other representatives of the food industry should have the opportunity to increase their profit by gaining access to those global consumers. The best paid markets require the highest standards, and Serbian producers of fruit and vegetables are improving in order to meet those standards and be present in more lucrative markets. That is why I am happy that the USAID continues to support companies and farmers in this sector through our Competitive Economy Project – stated Susan Fritz, the director of the USAID mission to Serbia.

– Agriculture is an important sector of the Serbian economy. The Dutch, just like the Serbs, live from it. Our two countries have had a long-lasting cooperation in agriculture. The cooperation in the sector of berries in particular attracted a lot of attention and is an example of an area in which a natural partnership can and should be built. Today’s conference shows precisely that exchanging the experiences, improving the knowledge and work are the way to a sustainable production in the future – said Joost Reintjes, the ambassador of the Netherlands.

Agro Belgrade doo Beograd

USAID Srbija

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

Ambasada Kraljevine Holandije Beograd

Agro Belgrade

USAID

Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Water Management

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Vladimir Živanović

Velimir Stanojević

Susan Fritz

Joost Reintjes

Berry Business Forum

berry industry

berry fruit industry