Browse Data and Analysis

Serbia’s 2009 “Law on Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs)” prohibits the importation and commercial production of genetically engineered crops. While Serbia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management has prepared a more forward-leaning “Law on GEOs” amendment in 2018, the current Serbian government has not considered adoption of this revision.

Serbia’s Marketing Year (MY) 2024/25 wheat area is forecast at 625,000 hectares (HA), 14 percent lower than the previous year. If the predicted yield of 5 MT/HA is achieved, wheat production is expected to reach 3.1 Million Metric Tons (MMT).

Serbia offers good opportunities for the U.S. exporters of consumer-oriented agriculture products. From January-October 2023, total U.S. exports of agriculture products to Serbia reached $22.6 million, an increase of about 16 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

This report provides a guide to the certificate requirements for agricultural and food products intended for export to Serbia.

This report provides insights into Serbian regulations and standards pertaining to food, agriculture, agricultural products, and foreign trade. It covers topics such as labeling, packaging, food additives, and import procedures.

After over a decade, Serbia still has not implemented changes to its “Law on Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs),” which was adopted in 2009. Even though Serbia prepared an amended “Law on GEOs” in 2018, changes to this are not on the list of possible adoptions created by the current Serbian Government.

The wheat planting area for MY2023/24 is estimated at 725,000 HA, some 17 percent higher than previous marketing year. Overall production is estimated to be 3.6 MMT, which represents a 12.5 increase compared to MY2022/23.

Serbian grain exports were significantly affected by the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 because 80 percent of Serbia’s grain exports travel to the world via Black Sea ports.

This report provides guidance on the certificate requirements for agricultural and food products exported to Serbia and includes the certificates that are recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management (MAFWM) in Serbia and the relevant U.S. authorities (U.S. Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture/ Agricultural Marketing Service, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration).

This report provides information on Serbian regulations and standards concerning food, agriculture, agricultural products, and foreign trade. It includes information on labeling, packaging, food additives, and import procedures. In 2022, Serbia did not adopt any new laws, but has adopted almost eighty by-laws that included different rules and ordinances.

After over ten years, Serbia still has not implemented changes to its Law on Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs) which was adopted in 2009. The current law strictly prohibits the importation, production, or commercial growing of genetically engineered crops. The law does not conform to European Union (EU) regulations or the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.

Persistent drought from May to August 2022 has damaged most of the spring crops in Serbia, mainly corn, soya, and fruits. Crop yields are forecast to decline by 20-30 percent, with total losses potentially reaching $ billion.