In response to false claims made by the President of the “Stig” Farmers’ Association, Nedeljko Savić, and the President of the Assembly of the Agricultural Producers Association of Subotica, Miroslav Matković, which were published on January 30, 2025, by the Beta news agency, alleging that 20% of agricultural producers have not yet received the additional basic incentives per hectare for crop production and that subsidized loans are unavailable to producers, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management – Agricultural Payments Directorate has issued the following statement:
In 2024, as part of the national subsidy measures, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management – Agricultural Payments Directorate issued 21 public calls for incentives, and over 102.2 billion dinars were paid in subsidies, representing 99.1% of the budget. Agricultural producers who qualified for basic incentives in crop production in 2024 initially received 18,000 dinars per hectare, followed by an additional 10,000 dinars in accordance with the Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management and several representative farmers’ associations, signed on October 27, 2024, in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. A total of nearly 52 billion dinars was paid out in this regard, which constitutes 99.1% of the approved funds.
Additionally, the public is informed that on January 24, 2025, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted a Decree on the distribution of agricultural and rural development subsidies for 2025, allocating 109.6 billion dinars for various subsidy categories in 2025. As part of the record agricultural budget for 2025, subsidies for certain direct payment measures have been increased compared to the previous year. The subsidy for quality breeding dairy and beef cattle has risen from 40,000 dinars per head to 55,000 dinars per head, while the subsidy for the purchase of certified seeds is up to 17,000 dinars per hectare.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management – Agricultural Payments Directorate will soon continue the payment of incentive funds based on administratively correct applications that meet the prescribed conditions.
Furthermore, in accordance with the aforementioned decree, agricultural producers will soon be able to apply for loans with subsidized interest rates at the banks with which the Ministry has agreements. A total of 1.3 billion dinars has been allocated for this purpose, and last year, 1.1 billion dinars were paid out for credit support, fulfilling nearly 98% of the applications.
Plans also include the payment of subsidies for certified seed up to 17,000 dinars per hectare, with a public call for this measure expected by the end of April 2025, as previously agreed.
In response to the claim that the Regulation on the actual use of land has not been adopted, we would like to clarify that the Government of the Republic of Serbia, at its session on December 26, 2024, approved the Draft Law on Amendments to the Agricultural and Rural Development Law, which has been submitted to the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia for consideration and adoption.
Once the National Assembly adopts this law and it comes into force, the Government will be able to adopt a Regulation that will regulate the conditions for the actual use of land and provide the form for the special declaration on the actual use of agricultural land.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia emphasizes that the publication of public calls and the disbursement of funds to agricultural producers will proceed according to the announced timeline.
