Although this year was extremely dry, agriculture will not be in the decline, the yield will be achieved at the level of perennials. Maize yields are at the level of six to 6.3 tons, and sunflowers have yielded solidly, said Minister of Agriculture Branislav Nedimovic at the panel “Agriculture in the first place” held within the 88th Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, where participants spoke about incentives, promotion and financing of Serbian agriculture.
When it comes to subsidies for agricultural production, working capital and procurement of machinery, the Minister said that last year and this year “subsidies were generous” and that this will continue, and that World Bank competitions are available, as well as funds from IPARD.
On this occasion, Nedimovic said that serious controls on the use of paid funds began this year, and in some cases it was determined that half of the money was used for other purposes or that the data in the tender documentation were falsified.
Speaking about the application of the Law on Seasonal Employment in Agriculture, the Minister stated that 44,000 people were hired in that way, and more and more workers from abroad were hired in our fields.
The president of the Association of Sheep Breeders of Serbia, Marko Jankovic, announced a significant undertaking in order to build the first slaughterhouse for lamb. He received a promise from the line minister that he would have support for this project, but Jankovic also said that they, as the owners of the investment, as well as the members of the association, will also have to give their contribution.
Most loans were approved for agricultural machinery and working capital
In addition to incentives, agricultural producers often opt for loans from commercial banks when investing.
“Members of the NLB Group Komercijalna and NLB Bank this year for the fourth time in a row are market leaders in the realization of loans for farmers with a subsidy from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. In 2021, the largest part was approved for investments in new agricultural mechanization and financing of working capital, raw materials and fodder,” said the Deputy President of the Executive Board of Komercijalna Banka, Dejan Janjatovic.
This year, NLB Bank is also organizing an Organic competition for projects in the field of organic food production and processing. There are currently about 80 applications, and due to the great interest, the application has been extended until the end of September, Nova reports.
