Serbia’s Minister of Agriculture, Aleksandar Martinović, announced that agricultural producers in the country received nearly 92 billion dinars in subsidies this year. During a press conference, he highlighted that the 21st public call for national incentive measures in 2024 was made available, covering direct payments, rural development, market support and credit support measures.
Martinović further explained that the deadline for submitting applications for the preservation of genetic resources has been extended until December 30. Over 88 billion dinars have already been paid out under national incentive measures, covering 99 percent of submitted applications. He noted that the processing of applications for the second quarter of milk premiums has been completed, with administrative processing for the third quarter ongoing.
Farmers who submitted their requests by the December deadline will receive their payments, which account for approximately 65 percent of the total applications. The remaining applicants have been asked to adjust or supplement their submissions. Additionally, by the end of the year, those who applied for subsidies for quality breeding cows in April 2024 will receive an additional 100,000 dinars for first-calf cows.
Martinović also addressed a technical issue with e-administration affecting the entire country. He assured farmers that the problem would be resolved soon. He emphasized that, based on an October agreement with agricultural associations, an additional 10,000 dinars was paid to farmers entitled to basic incentives in plant production. In total, nearly 50 billion dinars were allocated for hectare-based incentives.
Farmers are also eligible for a fuel excise tax rebate of 50 dinars per liter, with over 326,000 rebate applications submitted this year. Of these, 311,181 decisions have been made, and 216,171 requests have been paid out, amounting to nearly 3 billion dinars.
Looking ahead, Martinović revealed that the draft amendments to the Law on Agriculture and Rural Development will be adopted by the Serbian Government this Thursday. These amendments will allow farmers to register agricultural holdings based on actual land use, even if the land is cultivated by someone other than the owner.
The 2025 agricultural budget is set to be the largest to date, with a record allocation of 138 billion dinars, along with an additional 11 billion dinars for fuel excise tax refunds. This represents 7.5 percent of total budget revenues for the year.
In addition, Martinović announced that the Ministry of Agriculture decided to return agricultural holdings of certain individuals to active status after reviewing their cases, signaling the ministry’s commitment to treating agricultural producers fairly. He encouraged other farmers whose farms were given passive status to file appeals within the prescribed period.
