Elaborating the information, the Ministry’s State Secretary Igor Momcilovic said that this year’s wheat crop would be about 1.8 million tons which is 15% more than last year. On 3 July, the total mercantile wheat reserves in Serbia amounted to 308 000 tons, and according to estimates the new sowing includes 100 000 tons of last year’s wheat crop, said the State Secretary. He also added that an additional 100 000 tons in expenditure is to be expected and that certain amounts of wheat would be exported considering that on 16 June the Ordinance prohibiting the export of wheat from Serbia expired so that 92 000 tons of transitional wheat reserves can be counted on.
Momcilovic said that wheat was sown on about 490 000 hectares and the average yield is 3.8 tons per hectare which is low. He stressed that the Serbian Government decided to buy 100 000 tons of wheat for 20 RSD per kilo, including VAT, which is a better price than the ones on the Budapest and Paris markets.
The public warehouses’ storage capacities exceed 34 000 tons, and about 40 000 tons of storage capacities are currently being licensed, said the State Secretary. He also announced that the Ministry would speed up the warehouse licensing so as that the total capacities may shortly reach between 400 000 and 500 000 tons, with the provision that all who want to join the public warehouse system must meet certain technical, safety and financial conditions.

Accepting the information, the Committee members made various suggestions and comments on the preparations for the sowing of wheat and other cereals. They emphasised the need to increase the wheat storage capacities, and the state with its measures should prevent the attempts at brokering on the market and pulling down of the producers’ price of wheat.

The Committee members asked when the announced subsidies for agricultural producers would be paid, and State Secretary Momcilovic said that it would start next Tuesday.

The Committee went on to consider several issues and proposals within its scope of competence.
The sitting was chaired by Prof. Dr Zoran Masic, Committee Chairman.