Serbia – Action Plan for Organic Farming

As one of the first countries in south-east Europe, Serbia has launched a national action plan for organic agriculture with the goal of having a total area of 50,000 hectares of cultivated land certified organic or in conversion by 2014. Since 2009, the promotion of organic farming has been a high priority and, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, it is the long-term strategy of forestry and water management.  Organic agriculture is seen as having great potential in Serbia, but the domestic market still needs to develop. The industry report on the organic sector in Serbia is expected to be published soon.

On behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has been supporting projects in the food industry in Serbia since 2003. Since 2009, GTZ has also supported the efforts of the Serbian government in the organic sector.

On behalf of GTZ, specialists from the inspection body GfRS (Gesellschaft für Ressourcenschutz mbH Resource Protection Ltd.), with Dr. Jochen Neuendorff (picture), CEO of the organisation, have helped the Serbian Ministry to adapt the national legislation to the requirements of the EU-regulations on organic farming. In May 2010, a project was launched to analyse the certification sector and the opportunities to improve it. A study tour involving certification bodies, competent authorities and accreditation bodies in Austria and Germany took place in September 2010. In November 2010, a training course is held for assessors working for the Serbian accreditation body ATS.  

For the purpose of market research and advisory services to the organic sector, GTZ engaged an advisory consortium comprising the German consulting firm AFC and the Swiss Research Institute on Organic Agriculture FIBL, with the support and cooperation of Serbian experts. The research conducted so far has included site visits and scanning the situation in the sector through interviews with various stakeholders, and sector analysis with the collection of statistical data (area, species, regional distribution, number and type of actors, processing, etc.) in cooperation with relevant institutions, as well as farm surveys with certified organic farmers from all over the country. (Picture: Zadrugar)

Recent research has mainly revealed two things: the agricultural potential of Serbia for organic production, and the willingness of the private sector to invest in organic agricultural production as an interesting business opportunity. The organic market in Serbia still needs to develop. Economically, the export market is still by far the principal sales channel for organic produce. Currently, the most important export countries are the EU states.
 

The review of the organic agricultural sector in Serbia reveals some emerging trends  and shows that many actors in the industry are trying hard to advance on the road defined in the National Action Plan for the Development of Organic Farming in Serbia. While fundamental eco-climatic factors indicate a vast potential for developing organic farming, a number of major hurdles and problems are still ahead and need to be overcome. In the future, the GTZ team will be on board to support organic development and assist Serbia in removing constraints and bottlenecks that are hampering the development of the agricultural sector in general and the organic sub-sector in particular. (Picture: products of Terra Organica) 

 

The Action Plan with its defined goals will help the sector to develop. Some of the major objectives and activities are:
 

Support for organic farming is an integral part of the national agricultural and rural development policy, like simplification of the import and registration procedures for bio-pesticides and the promotional campaigns for the national organic logo (picture).
 

Serbia has established a law on organic farming in compliance with EU requirements.
 
Serbia has established an operational and effective conformity assessment and control system for organic farming in accordance with EU requirements. For 2009, eight control bodies applied and four of them succeeded in fulfilling the conditions: SGS Belgrade, Evrocert Belgrade, OCS Organic Control Subotica and Bioagricert Belgrade.
 

The national association for organic farming (picture) operates sustainably. It works as a lobby for common interests of the organic sector and also implements campaigns, for example BioFest, to promote organic agriculture among the public.
 
Accessible and demand-oriented extension services provide qualified up-to-date support for organic farmers.
Specific applied research activities for organic agriculture have been established, e.g. a scientific approach to concept development for the production of seed and planting material, an exchange programme for scientists and students, and a network of pilot farms at universities, associations, private farms and demonstration farms.
 

As a long-term goal, organic agriculture will be included as a topic in formal education. For example, educational measures will be established for children, and organic agriculture will be integrated into the curriculum of vocational schools and faculties. A further goal of the Action Plan is the formation of a competent authority within the industry, a cluster for organic producers, processors and traders, and cooperatives of producers.  

Regarding the development of the domestic market, the aim is to establish a larger number of local marketplaces and a higher frequency of market days, to support the creation of farm shops, and to enhance management and marketing know-how (e.g. accounting, pricing, advertising, webpages). Open (Picture: Organic market “Moj salas”, Novi Sad)

Exporting is also to be promoted – by setting up an information source regarding foreign markets, trends, prices and players, and by training companies, strengthening the export promotion agency (SIEPA), and by exporters participating in fairs and conferences. Subsidised credit lines for organic farmers are also an important measure.  The National Action Plan for Organic Agriculture is to be implemented and monitored. According to data of the ministry obtained from the certification bodies, the total number of organic producers amounted to 224 in February 2009. 37 producers have direct contracts with authorized certification bodies and the remaining 187 producers cooperate with Sirogojno, Berry Frost, the Biocooperative farms Mileticevo and Basaid, Zitohem, and Eko Telecka.

In February 2009, the total organic area amounted to 596 ha. 330 ha were certified by authorised certification bodies, 89 ha were used for growing specific plant cultures and 240 ha were meadows, pastures and forests. An area of 265 hectares was in conversion. The most important crops were certified cereals, followed by industrial plants, culinary herbs, and herbs used for medical purposes. Also, some vegetables were harvested as well as some fruit.