Regenerative agriculture yields 20% higher production
More incentives for organic production, recognition of regenerative agriculture through regulations, and support for innovations and startup development in the food and agriculture sector are measures that are not difficult to implement and would quickly yield significant results, it was stated at today's ceremonial session of the Food and Agriculture Alliance at NALED.
The mere transition from traditional to regenerative agricultural models would yield 10-20% higher yields per hectare in the first three to four years, while over a period of ten years, savings in production costs could reach up to 47%. Since agriculture represents one of the main pillars of economic growth in the country, taking concrete measures to improve the sustainability of the sector and its resilience to climate change will be one of the main priorities of NALED’s Food and Agriculture Alliance over the next two years.
Ivana Popović, State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, confirmed that the Government has recognized the issue of sustainable agriculture in a short time and that a working group has been formed, which is expected to bring quick solutions and measures that will be included in the Rural Development Strategy.
- Also, the proposed budget for 2025, which was adopted by the Government of Serbia, allocates 111.5 billion dinars for subsidies in agriculture. The good news for all farmers is that a public call for measure 3 from the IPARD III Fund will be announced in December, and for measure 7 in January, Popović stated.
The Alliance's priorities also include supporting the economy in the implementation of ESG standards, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, the development of rural infrastructure, and the removal of barriers in international trade of food products and raw materials.
- The number of electronically registered seasonal workers in agriculture has reached 100,000 in less than six years, since the reform of seasonal employment began. This, along with the launch of the eAgrar platform, is the greatest achievement of our working body. The results speak in favor of further work on the digitization of procedures, such as applying for incentives and maintaining the Field Book, said Tamara Penjić, President of the Food and Agriculture Alliance at NALED.
Among the highlighted activities is the preparation of the Carbon Footprint and Sustainability Analysis in primary crop production, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), in cooperation with experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), as well as the establishment of the first EIT Food Hub in Serbia, led by NALED in a consortium with the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad.
New leadership of the Food and Agriculture Alliance
Members of the Food and Agriculture Alliance have elected new leadership for this body. For the next two years, it will be led by Tamara Penjić, Executive Director of Carnex. The new vice presidents will be Marjana Davidović, General Director of Nestlé for the Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia region, Dragan Pušara, Acting Director of the Serbian Accreditation Body, Rodoljub Živadinović, President of the Serbian Beekeeping Organizations Alliance, and Vladimir Milićević, President of the Municipality of Paraćin.
