Miller Magazine Issue: 120 December 2019

62 INTERVIEW MILLER / DECEMBER 2019 wheat produced in Serbia has proteins above 12%. When it comes to corn on the international market, Serbian corn is known for quality, it is not genetically modified, it is used for human consumption and is especially sought after in the countries of the Far East. This year Serbia had produced about 8 million tonnes of corn and 2.5 million tonnes of wheat. By the next harvest, we expect to export 3 million tonnes of corn and 1 million tonnes of wheat. Serbia is an important player in the Balkans and has the potential to increase its grain production and exports. What are the setbacks for Serbia to reach its full ca- pacity? Serbia produces more grains than it needs and therefore is export-oriented country. Producers have certain advan- tages and difficulties in their constant struggle to survive and maintain their place at the international market. The advantage are the average yields and quality of products that still allow producers to sell all the quantities produced. On the other hand, the problem is the privileged position of producers in the countries at the immediate vicinity, which are EU members, and whose producers have high subsidies on agricultural production comparing to Serbian conditions. Droughts are also occasional problem in Serbia. During last ten years, we had two droughts, catastrophic one in 2012 when wheat crop was reduced by 50% and also another one with minor adverse effects in 2017. Large Danube, Sava, Tisa and Tamis rivers flow through the Ser- bian northern province of Vojvodina, which is the main grain production region in Serbia, and is intersected by canals connecting these rivers, but the percentage of irrigated area under grains is only about 1%, which is a consequence of the producers habit and, also, of avoiding additional costs for irrigation systems construction. What kind of changes have you experienced in the grain industry in recent years? When it comes to production, we can say that we are working to raise average yields. The fact is that we are sat- isfied with the average yields, they are at the top for the last three years with 4.6 t/ha for wheat and 7.9 t/ha for maize, but we know it can be even better. The second thing we are working on in Serbia is improving of the storage conditions. Our aim is to keep the quality we produce on the fields in the storage places until final consumption. During last 10 years, new storage capacities of around 7 million tonnes have been made in Serbia. With the existing 5 million tons capacity of storage places, the conditions for storing of the entire annual production of Serbian grains and oilseeds were created. Where will be opportunities and regions for Serbia corn and wheat exports? Serbia exports its grains to three continents: Asia, Europe and Africa. We export symbolic quantities of specialty wheat flours to Australia and North America, but having in mind that those countries are exporters, we do not expect better results there. We are constantly looking for new markets. During the previous year, we have harmonized the phytosanitary con- ditions for wheat exports to Egypt. The harmonization of corn export regulations for China is in its final stage and we expect the first quantities to be offered to the Chinese market as early as the beginning of 2020. For Serbian corn is a very interesting market is in Indonesia. We already have inquiries from Indonesia, but the phytosanitary conditions have not been harmonized yet and we expect that to be completed in 2020. At the end of October, you organized the first Serbia Grain Conference in Belgrade. What was the aim of the conference? What kind of feedback did you re- ceive regarding the conference? One year ago Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO) in cooperation with the Europe- an Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Association of Serbia Grains signed a second Letter of Agreement that continued the institutional, and financial support of the UN FAO to development of this sector of agriculture and trade in Serbia, this time in the framework of a joint project titled “Building Capacity of the Agribusi- ness Association in the Emerging Markets”. The agreement itself included cooperation in the numerous activities of the UN FAO and the Serbia Grains Association, which both aim at long-term development and improvement of production and trade of Serbian grains and oilseeds. In the frames of