Serbian growers have formed a national association to represent their interests.
The newly formed venture, Fruits of Serbia, will aim to become the leading institution for the improvement of production, promotion and sale of fruit and vegetables in Serbia.
The exchange of information and experience, the organisation of conferences and joint presentations at trade fairs, and introduction of international quality standards are just some of the activities planned.
Ratko Vukićević, chairman of the Fruits of Serbia executive board, said: "Networking and co-operation of fruit and vegetable producers are matters of survival in modern agriculture. In Serbia, there are roughly 270,000 registered - mainly small producers, without much of a chance to stay in business much longer.
“Together, we must succeed and have our high quality fruits and vegetables competitive on international markets, with widely recognised identity, design and marketing.”
Slobodan Milosavljević, head of the Serbian ministry of agriculture, added: “Along with quality, competitiveness, design, packaging, and efficient distribution channels are also a necessity. We will provide all the support needed to have Serbian produce distributed to all major wholesalers, from London to Moscow, on a daily basis.”
The USAID Agribusiness Project has assisted the formation of the initiative.
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