Nenad Katanić, Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Serbia, announced that the proposed rebalancing of the 2024 republic budget allocates funds for agricultural support, including payments of 17,000 dinars for certified seeds, 100,000 dinars for quality breeding heifers, and an increase in cow incentives from 40,000 to 55,000 dinars. During a session of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Katanić emphasized the Ministry’s efforts to secure long-term loans for farmers with reduced interest rates.
He noted that a new agriculture and rural development strategy is being prepared for 2025 to 2032, rather than the previously expected 2034. A consortium of Slovenian and Sarajevo companies has been selected to assess the impacts of the previous strategy, providing a foundation for the new one.
According to Marija Filipović from the Ministry of Finance, the rebalancing allocates 125.7 billion dinars for agriculture, representing 6.7% of the overall budget. Of this, 105.7 billion dinars are designated for subsidies, an increase from the initial allocation of 88.1 billion.
Marijan Risticevic, President of the Committee for Agriculture, expressed concerns that the Committee is more dedicated to agricultural issues than the Ministry itself. He doubts that the increased budget will cover the promised subsidies, estimating an additional need of 30 billion dinars to meet all farmers’ requirements.
Risticevic also criticized the reduction of funds for rural development from eight million euros to four million, vowing to propose an amendment to restore the original amount. He highlighted the success of fruit growers and alcohol producers, who secured 1.3 billion euros in exports last year, advocating for seasonal interventions to safeguard producer income amid adverse conditions.
He stressed the importance of domestic expertise in developing the agricultural strategy, pointing out that the current consortium includes only four local experts out of 24, raising questions about the suitability of foreign involvement.
During the session, concerns were raised regarding the transparency of the consortium’s composition, with Risticevic questioning the identity of the Serbian company involved.
Tatjana Brankov, previously nominated to the working group for the agricultural strategy, voiced dissatisfaction with the consortium’s progress and revealed she was removed from the group without explanation. She was later re-nominated by the Board.
The Committee approved the Proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Law on Rebalancing the Budget, which will be presented in the Assembly session on Monday, September 23.
