Today, the Head of the Office of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC) in Dubai, Marko Selakovic, presented the potentials and prospects of Serbian plum exports to the United Arab Emirates market and assessed that the potential of the Serbian plum market is extremely large and can compete with the demanding variety in the Middle East.
“Serbia is among the global leaders in plum production, and the leading regions are the Macva, Kolubara and Sumadija districts. In 2019, 558,930 tons of plums were produced,” stated Selakovic at the online manifestation “Days of Plums” in Blace, PKS announced.
He added that 75% of plums in Serbia, which are dominated by old indigenous varieties, are used for brandy, and that the assortment of plums in this area is significantly different than the assortment in other areas that are oriented towards export to the Middle East.
As the advantages of exporting plums to the Middle East market, Selakovic pointed out the duty-free import, symbolic VAT of five percent and the possibility of direct contact of producers with distributors, which greatly facilitates the trade process.
He pointed out that domestic exporters must pay special attention to the GCC standard, which is valid in all Gulf countries, and for the Middle East market, Selakovic suggested growing varieties such as “azenka”, which is very popular there.
As preconditions for cooperation with the Middle East, he stated the high quality of the products, good packaging, precision in quantity agreements and respect for deadlines, because this is a “premium market”.
“Producers must be united to have as large a plant as possible, as large a production as possible if we want to successfully place goods and serious quantities on the Middle East market,” Selakovic added.
He called on domestic producers to contact the PKS Office in the Emirates for support, which is also available for support in starting a business, connecting with distributors, and providing information regarding the market.
More than 450 participants followed the presentation, and in addition to companies, entrepreneurs and plum producers, representatives of PKS Nis, Regional Development Agency Nis, Agricultural Expert Advisory Service Prokuplje and representatives of companies for fruit production and processing also participated, Danas reports.
