The Serbian Parliament has adopted amendments to the Law on Agriculture and Rural Development, allowing farmers to register agricultural holdings based on the actual use of agricultural land. This includes the option to enter a cadastral plot into the Register based on a special statement certified by the relevant authority.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management explained that the current law provided four legal bases for registering agricultural entities: property rights, consolidation decisions, lease agreements, and land transfer contracts. However, in practice, there are situations where agricultural land is being used without a formal legal basis. To address this, the Ministry has determined the need for new regulations that will allow producers who are cultivating land to receive incentives, even if the use of the land is not formally documented.
In the coming period, the Government of Serbia will pass a decree that will regulate conditions for the actual use of agricultural land, the form of the special declaration, and all other relevant matters in accordance with the new legal framework.
These amendments are expected to allow farmers who meet the criteria to apply for incentives from the Ministry of Agriculture, including the right to purchase fuel at a preferential price and to claim a fuel excise rebate.
Čedomir Keco, president of the Agroprofit Association, spoke to Biznis.rs about the new law, noting that state-owned agricultural land is excluded from the changes. He believes that the amendments represent a positive step by the state, offering a streamlined administrative process to help farmers.
Keco highlighted that unresolved property-legal relations have been a major issue in agricultural land use. He described the amendments as a form of “legal and cadastral tolerance,” benefiting farmers who use land without formal ownership or lease agreements. He explained that small farms in regions with unregulated land will benefit the most, as they will be able to receive incentives for land they are actively cultivating.
Although the new regulation won’t dramatically increase the land available for incentives, Keco noted that it addresses areas with small plots and few active farmers. He also pointed out that the move was influenced by street protests from farmers, and while it’s a good step, the real solution lies in completing a cadastral analysis to organize agricultural land based on reliable data. According to Keco, neighboring countries have already implemented electronic processing of agricultural land through the cadastre, and Serbia should follow suit.
