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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Serbian food to be largely promoted on local and foreign markets next year

Belgrade, 11 October 2006

Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Goran Zivkov said today that the Ministry and the Serbian Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA) will launch a joint project next year to largely promote Serbian food products both on domestic and international markets.

Remer Lane, Goran Zivkov and Jasna Matic

In a press conference occasioned by the successful presentation of 13 Serbian companies at the Moscow Food Fair, that was held from September 26 to 29, Zivkov said that manifold increase of food exports on the Russian market is possible, but a more aggressive approach is needed.

SIEPA Director Jasna Matic said that Serbian companies presented in the Moscow fair were among 1,100 exhibitors and noted that according to agreements and preliminary contracts, planned export of fruit and vegetables will exceed €5 million next year.

Frozen raspberries, fresh apples and fruit products will be exported most, Matic said and added that Serbian companies that participated in the Moscow food fair for the first time made more than 400 contacts with Russian partners.

The interest in Serbian food products in Russia is immense, which is an opportunity that can be well used, said Matic and announced the promotion of dairy and meat industries in the next food fair in Moscow.

Representative of the Serbia Entrepreneurship Development Project (USAID-SEDP) Remer Lane said that imported products make half of an annual turnover of products on the Russian food market, reaching the value of $5.7 billion, which is an excellent opportunity for companies from Serbia.

Noting that Serbia should make use of the chances offered by the huge Russian market, with products being of excellent quality, Lane said that companies need to work on enlarging the product offer.

President of the managing board of the Fruitland association of fruit producers Dragan Milosavljevic said that first quantities of Serbian fresh apples will set off to the Russian market late this month.

Milosavljevic said that eight firms gathered in the Fruitland association plan to export apples, peaches, nectarines, plums and berry fruit to Russia and are readying for the food fair in Belin in February 2007.