Seven Serbian companies producing fruit, meat, milk and animal feed will receive permits for export to the Russian market next week, three are fruit producers, one produces animal feed, one is from the meat industry and two are from the dairy industry, Agriculture Minister Branislav Nedimovic said today after a meeting with Russian counterpart Dmitry Patrushev.
It was specified that these are the fruit companies PDM, Farm fruit and Rambo, the producer of animal feed Sano, Perutnina Ptuj, Sremska mlekara and the dairy Belanova.
“The agreement between Serbia and the Eurasian Union enters into force on July 10. We have an expanded list of products compared to the previous agreement, we have the possibility of duty-free export of unlimited quantities of sheep cheese, goat cheese and fruit brandy. These are new products and the possibility of trade improves,” Nedimovic said.
He added that he was impressed by the technological progress of the Russian food industry, which he saw at the Agroforum at the Hyatt Hotel.
“Their companies are welcome if they want to invest in Serbia. We will give them complete support for such investments, because the development of trade is in the common interest,” Minister Nedimovic emphasized.
He pointed out that there are almost no open issues in agriculture between Russia and Serbia, and that abuses during the export of goods from the EU through Serbia from the past have been jointly overcome.
Nedimovic pointed out that in the last ten years, the exchange with Russia increased five times and reached 480 million dollars last year, with Serbia having a surplus of more than 250 million dollars.
“We are open for further development of trade relations, because both sides must be satisfied,” Nedimovic concluded.
The Serbian Minister announced that from May 2022, our country will be integrated into the Russian information system that monitors the deliveries of fruits and vegetables to that country.
“Which will enable us to know at all times what is happening with the shipment and to reduce the possibility of possible abuses to a minimum,” Nedimovic pointed out.
He confirmed that the Russian side will allow the export of pork from Serbia from the territory of our country that are not affected by the African swine fever.
Nedimovic said that an agreement was reached today that about twenty Serbian fruit producers will soon agree in Russia on how to conclude multi-year contracts on the delivery of goods, which will solve the problem of transport through third countries, which is now slowing down exports.
“Serbia is an important strategic partner for Russia. Our countries are actively cooperating in a wide range of issues, including agriculture, in which we have a permanent growth of trade, which exceeded 500 million dollars last year,” said Russian Minister Petrushev.
He added that the new impetus for that cooperation will be the beginning of the implementation of the agreement between Serbia and the Eurasian Economic Union.
“Mutual interest in the development of cooperation is confirmed by the agro-economic exhibition held in Belgrade. I am convinced that this will help expand our cooperation in the field of agriculture and that the exchange of goods, which is already large, will only grow,” Patrushev said.
The two ministers exchanged gifts after the meeting.
Patrushev presented Nedimovic with an art painting with a view of the Kremlin, and Nedimovic presented his Russian colleague with a collection of Serbian wines, traditional Serbian agricultural products and traditional Serbian hat, RTV reports.
