The Memorandum on Cooperation in the field of agriculture was signed in Novi Sad by the Minister of the Government of Serbia, Branislav Nedimovic, and the State Secretary at the Ministry of Slovenia, Damjan Stanonik and the models of concrete cooperation, especially in the field of digitization, were discussed at the conference “Digitization in Agriculture”.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said at the rally that the agriculture sector had been neglected for decades, that “investments that existed were strategically bad, and agriculture is therefore outdated and climate-resistant, which is the biggest challenge today”. Since Branislav Nedimovic became minister, Prime Minister Brnabic said, Serbia has started to change things strategically in agriculture.
“We have achieved this by building stronger, more sustainable agriculture in five ways, through irrigation systems, field electrification, automatic anti-theft defense, modernization and subsidization of equipment and machinery and through digitization in agriculture”, said Brnabic. Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said at the conference that Serbia is an important interlocutor for Slovenia and a key economic partner in the region.
“We are committed to the European perspective of Serbia, and the Memorandum signed opens up opportunities to reaffirm our traditionally friendly, economic relations, and especially cooperation in agriculture”, he said.
“The main tool in agriculture such as plow, hoe and oxen, were replaced by the internet, computers and satellites. Formerly, the farmer was helped by animals to plow the field, and today the GPS-controlled tractor is important for us to collaborate and share experiences in the field of digitization in agriculture”. said Sarec.
It was said at the meeting that Serbia can transfer experience to Slovenia regarding the employment of seasonal workers, which it successfully implements, while Slovenia can assist Serbia in the field of digitization in agriculture, when it comes to the Slovenian system “iaks”.
“I am convinced that there is no progress in agriculture without the introduction of new IT solutions. With digitization, cost reductions come, and when costs are reduced, more profit remains. The software for seasonal agricultural workers, introduced and successfully implemented by Serbia, allowed 28,000 seasonal workers to enter legal flows, to paid taxes and contributions by their employer. Both workers and employers and the state are satisfied”, said Minister Branislav Nedimovic.
He told his Slovenian colleagues that “if they need a peeler, Serbia has it and will give it to them.”
State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture in Slovenia Damjan Stanonik pointed out that Serbia and Slovenia have been successfully cooperating in many areas, especially in the field of agriculture, and that the Memorandum of Cooperation in Agriculture and Rural Areas signed is therefore extremely important.
“The good work of the system introduced by Slovenia in the field of agriculture was a good basis for withdrawing funds from the European Union. It was very important for us to try this system before joining the EU. Setting up this system is complicated, but we are sure that Serbia will do it, and you can count on all our help”, Stanonik said. He says that he and Serbian Minister Nedimovic have agreed to organize working groups on good practice, in digitizing the employment of farmers from both countries.
