Serbia holds 21st position in the wine exporting business to Germany

Serbia is 21st on the list of the countries which import wine to Germany, according to the words by the President of German Vineries Association, Rudolf Nickenig, giving a figure of 8.422 hectoliters of wine exported from Serbia to Germany.

- The trend of importing wines produced in Serbia to Germany is not positive lately and it marks a slight fall, said Mr. Nickenig, adding that mostly Serbian red wines were imported, and that their average prices at the market were quite low.]

Mr. Nickenig pointed out that there is a great potential to improve this trend, but it was necessary to introduce some new technologies in Serbian wine production, as well as to improve the fields on which the grapes’ are bred.

-Also, marketing is another thing it should be worked on. At the beginning, certain kinds of grape specific for this area should be brought up before all. And, in order to position the country on the market, there should be some type characteristic determined, said Mr. Nickenig at “ProWein 2010” fair in Düsseldorf and at “Intervitis/Interfruct” in Stuttgart.

Mr. Nickenig pointed out that Germany was the largest wine imported in the world, giving a data that around 14,2 millions of hectoliters of wine had been imported in the last year.

The Chairman of Winery Group within the Ministry of agriculture, Darko Jaksic, said that Serbia had annual production of around 350.000 tones of grapes and lately there had been noticed a gradual growth of the areas were this culture is bred year after year. He also said that Serbia marked a great deficit in international balance in the wining sector, as more wines are imported than exported.

Mr. Jaksic reminded that from this year, temporary trade agreement with EU was being introduced and applied, accordingly Serbia was allowed to export 63.000 hectoliters of wine to the countries of EU, without customs fees. This has opened up a possibility of European market for Serbian producers.

-Also, Free Trade Agreement with Russia is valid from April, 3rd, of this year, and champagne wines are the only ones still on the list of products with determined customs fees, added Mr. Jaksic.

Representatives of Düsseldorf and Stuttgart fairs have invited Serbian producers to participate at “ProWien 2010” fair, to be held from March, 21st to 23rd, as well as at “Intervitis/Interfruct” from March, 24th-28th of 2010.