A conference entitled - Serbian Berry Fruit Industry - Time for change? - took place on May 4th  in the premises of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Belgrade. The Conference was organized by the USAID Agribusiness Project in collaboration with the Coldstores Association of Serbia and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

The event was opened by Mr. Milan Prostran, the General Secretary of the agricultural association of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Louis Faoro, Director of the USAID Agribusiness Project; Kolinda Hrehorović, Advisor for Fruit Production and Processing at the Government of Serbia Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management and Mr. Slobodan Žunić, the President of the Coldstores Association of Serbia.

The aim of the conference was to gather all relevant representatives of this important agricultural sector so that agreement can be made as to what are the necessary activities that need to be carried out in order to improve the sector's competitiveness in the global markets.

Apart from an analysis of the current state of affairs on the local and foreign berry fruit markets, the results of a detailed analysis of the Russian berry fruit market were presented as well as recommendations for improving the presence of Serbian berry fruit on the Russian market in addition to other relevant markets.

The Conference brought together a large number of representatives of production and processing companies, agribusiness advisory companies, input providers as well as the representatives of educational, scientific, governmental and international institutions.

Since the onset of the USAID Agribusiness Project, various activities have been carried out with the aim to extend berry fruit verities, insure consistent productivity growth and increase exports of Serbian berry fruit.

Some of the activities also include advisory and technical assistance in introducing new varieties; ensuring effective presentation at international trade fairs and shows; networking with buyers and input suppliers; introduction of new technologies and specialized trainings so that companies can improve their marketing, sales and organizational capacities.

USAID Agribusiness Project cooperates with Serbian farmers in all stages of the production cycle throughout the system "from farm to fork", in order to maximize the value of Serbian agricultural products’ sales and encourage job creation in agriculture.