With Zagreb and Belgrade as their base VLAM (Flemish center for agricultural marketing) left for the Balkan region near the end of March. From March 23 to the 26th there were new contact days on the agenda. FIT took care of the contacts for the Belgian delegation of eight exporters and three auction houses. After the contact days in Northern Italy near the end of February VLAM began their export operations.
The Belgian delegation
A look at the market
During a contact day a visit to the local early market is always on the agenda. The early market in Zagreb was much more modern than the one in Belgrade, and even trading was going on. They are currently busy building a new complex that will include loading docks and cold storage cells. Also, a visit to the local supermarkets can be fruitful in order to learn more about the local market. This showed that there is an important difference in the quality and presentation of fresh products between various retailers.
In regards to fruit, there are clearly more apple lovers in the area than pear lovers. The production and trade figures show that the production and import of apples is much larger than that of pears. This is reflected in the range of products offered. Moreover, Conference pears were not well known. The common pear varieties here are Abate and Kaiser. Other than Belgian potatoes there were not many products from Belgium. On the other hand, Dutch products were clearly present in both countries.
The contact days
The trade talks in both countries were a success. There was a large turnout of both importers and retailers. The market is less saturated than in Northern Italy and offers more opportunities for new players. In both Croatia and Serbia the delegation was invited to the ambassador's residence. Both receptions made for an ideal place to network with importers and retailers. In Serbia, the Belgian delegation was able to get acquainted with the Chamber of Commerce and the Phytosanitary service.
Serbia
The population of Serbia is 7.2 million. The country has submitted the application to become a member of the EU, but that is still ongoing, even after having submitted five years ago. Within it's own fruit and vegetable sector cabbage and grapes are at the top. Apples and plums are important for Serbian export, while citrus, apples, tomatoes and onions are imported from Europe. Currently Belgium exports are only about 600 tons.
Croatia
Croatia has been a member of the EU since the summer of 2013 and has a current population of 4.5 million. Once again grapes and cabbage are the most produced fruits and vegetables in Croatia. Croatia's main export product is apples, and they import mostly tropical fruits, citrus fruits and tomatoes from Europe. Belgium exports approximately 6,000 tons to Croatia. Here it is mainly about the transit of certain products.