NO CELEBRATION AND CELEBRATION, NO CONSUMPTION: Serbian farmers warn they are being destroyed by large imports of pork from the EU

Aside from expensive maize, farmers are bothered by the low purchase price and large imports, warned Nenad Budimović, secretary of the Cattlemen’s Association of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

In the previous nine months, 16,000 tonnes of pork worth 44 million euros were imported to the Serbian market from the EU. One of the main reasons is that China stopped importing due to the African swine fever pandemic and epidemic in Europe, so there were large market surpluses in the EU.

– We still do not have precise data on how much meat consumption has fallen, because tourism and restaurants are in danger due to the pandemic, and there are no similar celebrations and demonstrations where there was a large consumption – said Budimović. – I think that the results will only show in the coming months, that the food industry weathered that first blow well, that there were no shortages, but we should think about how to keep everything at a level of self-sufficiency in the future, with some slight market surpluses for exports .

According to Budimovic, new markets, such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines, and the placement of finished products there should be considered, as the World Food Organization (FAO) estimates that consumption in those countries will grow by around 22 percent.

– Our state has concluded good foreign trade agreements with those countries, but it is still worth working on the preparations for their realization – Budimović pointed out.