At the sitting held on 16 September, the members of the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee considered the current situation in agriculture and adopted the Information on the preparations for the coming public hearing.
The sitting was attended by State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Velimir Stanojevic and representatives of the Directorate for Agrarian Payments and Veterinary Directorate.
State Secretary Stanojevic informed the Committee on soy, sunflower and corn yield estimates for the year and the veterinary situation in the field of pig farming, saying that the Ministry is on track with its budget projections for the coming year.
In the ensuing discussion with the Ministry and directorate representatives the MPs mostly had questions about the intervention buyout in exchange for cattle feed and mineral fertilizer and the autumn harvest which started earlier this year. They also had questions about the livestock breeding and beekeeping situation especially in underdeveloped areas and the situation as regards the African swine fever and whether a bill concerning the production of veterinary medicines is being drafted. The officials spoke about the payment of agricultural subsidies for producers, agriculture and rural development incentives, incentive payment dynamics for 2018, mercantile corn stores, cattle breeding, export of beef, soy yield and price for the year, foreign trade surfeit for 2018 and import increase, IPARD programmes, inspections, etc.
Following the discussion the Committee members adopted a Conclusion recommending the Ministry and relevant authorities to step up their disease prevention measures and animal health protection, the Committee recommended that the Government, Ministry and relevant authorities to secure funds for the intervention buyout of agricultural products and purchase of mineral fertilizer for exchange and it recommends that the Directorate for Agrarian Payments to fully focus on the payment of agricultural incentives.
The Committee members went on to accept the Information on the preparations for the coming public hearing on “Status of waters in Serbia” scheduled for 19 September. Besides the invited participants, the public hearing will also have keynote speeches by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Water Directorate and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Committee adopted a Conclusion urging all of its members to invite or propose that individuals and institutions for which they believe it would be important and useful to attend, to be invited.
The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Marijan Risticevic.
The sitting was attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Mladen Lukic, Zarko Bogatinovic, Arpad Fremond, Prof. Dr Miladin Sevarlic, Radovan Jancic, Veroljub Matic, Marjana Maras, Aleksandra Jevtic, Vladimir Djuric, Milija Miletic, Jasmina Obradovic, Nada Lazic and Tijana Davidovac.
