The sale and lease of state agricultural land in Serbia is becoming more and more difficult for small farmers, which causes dissatisfaction and concern in the domestic agricultural sector. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of fertile land in Vojvodina are under the administration of the state, but most of that land ends up in the hands of large corporations, foreign companies and local landowners. This trend makes it even more difficult for young farmers and small farms to secure land for work.
Much of the state land was sold to foreign companies such as Al Dahra and Al Rawafed. The conglomerates in question received land and farms in Serbia on extremely favorable terms. The Belgrade Agricultural Combine (PKB), which had significant potential for domestic agriculture, was given to the Al Dahra company for only 6,000 euros per hectare. In eastern Vojvodina, especially in Banat, a significant part of the state land is cultivated by domestic tycoons, while there is little chance that ordinary farmers will get access to these plots.
Can the average Paori get their hands on some land today?
Previously, auctions for the lease of state land were more transparent, allowing citizens to bid in several rounds. Only in the final stages of bidding were applications from outside participants allowed. However, the situation has changed, so land is increasingly excluded from this process, and fraud is becoming more common. The land that once belonged to the ancestors of many domestic farmers was sold to foreign or domestic investors, while the heirs were offered alternatives in restitution – often of poorer quality and far from their properties.
This kind of policy causes a feeling of injustice among small farmers, like Đoka Ćurčić from Vilov, in the municipality of Titel. Đoka cultivates 32 hectares of land – part of which is inherited and part is private property. He (Đoka) does not use state land on lease because that resource has become unavailable for ordinary farmers. Instead, government land ends up in the hands of large corporations and individuals with political or financial privileges. And this further worsens the position of small farms, Đoka points out.
This situation raises serious questions about the future of agriculture in Serbia. If the sale and transfer of fertile land to big businessmen and foreign companies continues, the possibility of developing small farms will decrease. This not only threatens the existence of domestic farmers like Đoka, but also the sustainability of the agricultural sector as a whole system. A clearer policy is needed that will ensure a balance between the needs of small farms and the interests of large investors. This is the only way to preserve the agricultural tradition and ensure the long-term stability of the sector, says Đoka.
Source: Agronews
Source: boljazemlja.com
