Technical Assistance Programs
The Office of Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade manages a wide range of technical assistance and capacity building programs in Serbia and Montenegro. These programs are designed to achieve three primary goals: 1) economic growth and job opportunities in the agricultural sector; 2) improve consumer health, food safety, and animal and plant health regulations to comply with international trade agreements, and; 3) expand U.S.-Serbia bilateral trade and investment and help Serbia's integration into the world market system. USDA program in Serbia and Montenegro includes the following:
1. Food Safety and Quality Program: The Food Safety Program for Serbia and Montenegro focuses on strengthening the regulatory systems for production and processing of meat, poultry and dairy products. The goal is to help facilitate the establishment of an integrated food safety system between the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, and incorporate standards that will help the region meet international safety and quality regulations.
2. Animal Health: USDA provides assistance to strengthen Serbia’s capacity in the veterinary services sector. Protecting the livestock sector from disease is necessary for protecting the economic stability of the country.
3. Market Information System: The USDA continues to provide assistance to develop a sustainable system for collecting, analyzing and disseminating high quality agricultural market information. The Market Information System (MIS) program provides farmers, policy makers and agribusiness with the pricing information they need to make rational production and marketing decisions to facilitate Serbia’s transition to a fully functioning market economy.
4. Agricultural Extension: The Agricultural Extension program continues to provide technical assistance to develop a sustainable extension service. USDA provide the Ministry of Agriculture’s extension offices with the necessary information and tools to reach out to farmers and provide educational and technical information that will assist farmers in responding to issues effecting farm management and production.
5. Biotechnology: USDA assists Serbia and Montenegro in implementing a biosafety system that will facilitate safe development and applications of agricultural biotechnology without impeding international agricultural trade. The Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and the National Biosafety Committee are using USDA’s assistance to strengthen Serbia’s decision-making process and implement a transparent, practical regulatory framework for biosafety of agricultural biotechnology.
6. Planting Seed System and Crop Protection: The planting seed program helps Serbia in strengthening its regulatory framework and promotes applications of beneficial technologies in the areas of planting seeds and crop protection. Within the seed system, regulatory issues include seed certification, phytosanitary (i.e., seed health) and plant variety protection programs. Through seminars, short courses, and scientific exchanges, ICD will continue to prepare participants to develop and adopt transparent, technically sound regulations and public-private partnerships necessary to enforce those regulations.
7. Agricultural Policy and WTO: Agricultural Trade Policy/WTO training program is designed to help Serbia continue to establish a trade regime that is consistent with the WTO and other international standards-setting bodies. Key areas of focus are: Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) issues; the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreements; the role of various entities (e.g., government, private sector, Parliament Congress) in agricultural trade policy development; the WTO accession process; international standard setting bodies (i.e., OIE, IPPC, and CODEX); and a forward look at the Doha Round.