May 9, 2012

Serbia's spring planting is almost complete

The spring planting in Serbia is about to finish, and the most dominant crop this season is corn covering almost 90% of a total of 1.25 million hectares, said Milos Milovanovic, assistant to the minister of agriculture.

"In case of favorable weather by the end of the year, considering the average annual yield, the total corn yield is expected to be about seven million tonnes," Milovanovic stated. The percentage of sowing of sunflower and soy is somewhat smaller than corn being around 85, and the area covered with this crop is expected to reach 175,000 that is 165,000 hectares.

The sugar-beet sowing covered around 60,000 hectares, which will satisfy the domestic needs and fulfill the quota for the sugar-beet export to the EU totalling 180,000 tonnes annually, Milovanovic said. He noted that wheat which was sowed in autumn at 470,000 hectares is in good condition.

Given that the weather in the last few weeks is favorable, we believe that more than enough wheat will be produced, with the amount of flour satisfying domestic needs and export, he added. Milovanovic said that 500,000 tonnes of bread wheat is likely to be exported to regional markets.