Serbia is paying tens of millions of dollars annually for fresh produce, like vegetables, to be imported, when the country could in fact produce these items itself. Last year Serbia imported beans for 12 million dollars, potatoes for 9, tomato for 16, and cucumbers for as much as 3.5 million dollars.
“Our products cost more than imported ones,” said Milada Lukesevic, advisor of the Association for crop production in the Chamber of Commerce. “Prices of imported products are competitive because foreign producers are supported by the state,” she said.
Beans are grown in Serbia on 17,737 hectares, adds Lukesevic. Average annual production over the last five years is around 30,000 tons.
The fact that the country allocates more and more money to importing food, confirms that Serbia is continuing bad practices and imports goods, even though those same foods could be produced at competitive prices locally.
“We should not be spending foreign currency on these, or for many other agricultural products, because we have the resources to produce them for our own needs and even for export.” said Petar Bogosavljevic, president of the Movement for Consumer Protection in Serbia.
“How is it possible that it is cheaper for us to import beans from Kyrgyzstan, potatoes from the Netherlands and garlic from China, than to produce it here,” asked Andjelka N. from Belgrade.
Source: inserbia.info
