Agriculture, Food and Beverages

Sector Highlights

  • Serbia is a global leader in the export of frozen raspberries with $236.5 million exported in 2014 and world No.1 producer of raspberries in 2015;
  • Over 6.12 million ha of agricultural land, of which 60% is arable.
  • This highly-attractive sector accounts for 13.1% of FDI stock since 2001.
  • One of the few industry sectors recording a trade surplus.

Sector Overview

Serbia boasts ideal natural conditions for growing crops, fruit and vegetables. The soil is still one of the cleanest in Europe, while most of the fruit is grown in perfect conditions; it is hand-picked, carefully stored, and packaged in order to attain the highest possible quality and a unique flavor. Serbia’s diverse climate and ample land resources also create unique opportunities for the development of primary vegetable production.

food za sajt

An excellent raw material base, network of FTAs, and a long tradition of high-quality food production and strong regional brands are key reasons world class companies have come to Serbia. As noted above analysis, the agro-food sector accounts for a massive proportion of foreign direct investments, whether in terms of value or of the number of projects. In addition to excellent raw materials and conditions for producing high-quality, healthy food in Serbia, investors can also enjoy strong support from Serbia’s widely recognized fruit-research institutes. Research mainly focuses on technologically-advanced production that leads to high-quality, environmentally-friendly seeds and vegetable crop production. Moreover, Serbian law prohibits the production and import of any genetically modified (GMO) foods and seeds.

Made-in-Serbia food is present around the globe, from Japan to the US, and is sold under Serbian brands and through world’s largest supermarket chains such as Tesco, Lidl, Asda, Spar, Carrefour, Metro, Idea, Leader price, Kopeika, and Rewe. In 2014, Serbia exported €2,337 million of agriculture produce, which is for 10% higher than in the same period last year, making it one of the few industry sectors recording a trade surplus (over €1 billion). International customers keep increasing orders for Serbian truffles, raspberries, apples, corn, juices, concentrates, purees, jams, frozen and dried fruit and other first-class produce.