Glamocic: Serbia is the 13th largest exporter of chips in the world, we are strengthening the production and processing of domestic potatoes

Serbia is the 13th largest exporter of chips in the world, which is a significant result for a country of our size and shows that there is great potential for further development of potato production and processing, said Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Dragan Glamocic in Lucani yesterday during a conversation with representatives of the Serbian Potato Association about the state, challenges and prospects of potato production. The Serbian Potato Association is one of the most important professional associations, which brings together producers and processors of seed, consumer and industrial potatoes, as well as experts, which makes it one of the key partners of the state in the development of this production and better positioning of domestic potatoes on the market.

Glamocic emphasized that potatoes were one of the most important crops in the diet of the Serbian population, and that production was largely based on family farms.

– The Moravica District is one of the most important regions for potato production in Serbia. Potato producers, processors and representatives of the Ministry sat at the same table today. This is the best example of how, through a partnership dialogue between the state and agriculture, we can successfully seek solutions and answers to questions about how to improve domestic production, preserve our assortment and overcome all challenges on the market – said Glamocic, the Ministry announces.

He also pointed out the problem of importing cheaper potatoes from certain European countries, which appear on the market at dumping prices and further complicate the position of domestic producers. According to the minister, concrete steps were agreed at the meeting towards long-term cooperation, all with the aim of strengthening potato production and processing in Serbia. During the conversation, the need for greater support from scientific and research institutions in monitoring modern challenges in the production of this crop, especially when it comes to the occurrence of diseases and pests, was also highlighted, and the possibilities for the Potato Center, headquartered in Guca, to once again gain a more significant role were also discussed.

The Vice President of the Executive Board of the Serbian Potato Association, Zivko Bugarcic, stated that producers have been facing a decline in production for almost two decades, with one of the biggest challenges being that potato cultivation is cheaper in some European countries, so it is important to find ways to keep domestic production competitive and sustainable. As he stated, the meeting also discussed the issue of incentives, with the aim of including potatoes as a vegetable crop in the autumn distribution of funds.

Representatives of the Ministry and the aforementioned association agreed that closer cooperation between producers, processors, the profession and the state is necessary for the long-term stability of potato production in Serbia.

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

Ministry of Agriculture

Serbian Potato Association

Dragan Glamočić

Živko Bugarčić

potatoes

chips

potato production

potato processing

potato export