Browse Data and Analysis

On March 17, the Serbian Government added refined sunflower edible oil to the list of grains and oilseeds that cannot be exported because of their importance to food security. In the same amendment the Serbian Government removed raw sunflower seed oil from the list that is now free for export.

Serbia offers good opportunities for the U.S. exporters of consumer-oriented agriculture products. January – October 2021, total U.S. exports of agriculture products to Serbia reached $22.6 million, an increase of 21 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

Belgium is a Member State of the European Union (EU) and applies the certification requirements described in the European Union Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Certification Report. Products not yet harmonized are subject to Belgian national rules.

This report provides information on Serbian regulations and standards concerning food, agriculture, agricultural products, and foreign trade. It includes information on labeling, packaging, food additives, and import procedures. In 2021, Serbia adopted the new Law on Regulation of the Agriculture Products Market and more than seventy by-laws that included different rules and ordinances.

This report provides guidance on the certificate requirements for agricultural and food products exported to Serbia and includes the certificates that are recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management (MAFWM) in Serbia and the relevant U.S. authorities (U.S. Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture/ Agricultural Marketing Service, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration).

This report should be read in conjunction with the EU-27 Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) report written by the U.S. Mission to the EU. This report focuses on the import regulations and standards that are not harmonized at the EU-level or where Belgium varies.

Public support for agricultural biotechnology in Belgium is roughly divided between the Wallonia and Flemish regions with the latter more receptive.

In 2009, Serbia adopted the current “Law on Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs),” which strictly prohibits importing, producing, or commercial growing genetically engineered crops. After more than ten years, Serbia still has not implemented changes to this “Law on GEOs” that conforms to European Union (EU) regulations or the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.

Very high temperatures starting in May and low precipitation did not have a negative effect on wheat and barley production in Serbia, while corn yield will be reduced by at least 20 percent.

Agriculture and food production in Serbia is the most important export sector, accounting for over 10 percent of the country’s GDP and 20 percent of all exports.

Serbia’s Marketing Year (MY) 2021/22 wheat area is forecast at 600,000 hectares (HA), 5 percent higher than the previous year

On March 22, 2021, the Belgian government notified the European Commission of a draft national decree transposing the EU Renewable Energy Directive