Subcommittee Chairman Milija Miletic said that beekeeping is a big potential for agricultural development of the least developed areas of Serbia and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection has this year allocated 44% more than in 2014 in subsidies for the field. Serbia has 969 thousand registered hives and about 20 thousand beekeepers, with an average honey production of 12.5 kg per hive. Serbia also abounds in honey plants such as acacia, linden and meadow plants, and he said that a hectare of acacia yields a ton of honey. Miletic informed the Subcommittee members that Serbia annually produces about 12 thousand tons of honey, three thousand of which is exported. Besides honey, bees also produce royal jelly, propolis, wax and honey bee venom which is very important in the pharmaceutical industry.

Miletic outlined the problems plaguing beekeepers which mainly concern the production of industrial honey made from corn starch and sugar, the registration of vehicles used to transport hives and the planting of honey trees.

Nenad Terzic, representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, said that beekeeping is of particular interest for less developed areas, adding that the Law on Stimulation of Agriculture and Rural Development defines measures concerning beekeeping and introduces subsidies per hive. Terzic said that through non-refundable aids and subsidies for bee keepers, we are striving to enhance this very profitable branch in Serbia. He also said that Serbia has seven entities registered to export honey into the EU.

Rodoljub Zivadinovic, President of the Alliance of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia, also took part in the discussion, saying that beekeeping plays a huge role in agriculture and could offer self-employment opportunities in underdeveloped areas. He informed the Subcommittee members that the Alliance of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia boasts 521,796 hives and 9,648 members, 6.8% of whom are women. He listed the problems troubling beekeeping in Serbia, whose resolution could boost its development.

Finally, the Subcommittee proposed and adopted the following conclusions concerning the problems in beekeeping:

1. To continue fighting against falsification of honey;
2. To organize a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection in order to address the problem of registration of vehicles used to transport bees;
3. Adopt a rulebook on the use of honey bee venom;
4. Honey tree forestation;
5. Education of beekeepers on the production of organic honey;
6. Adoption of a by-law to regulate the quality of beeswax bases on the market;
7. Regulation of bee transportation procedures and adjustment of price for bee health certificates.

The Alliance of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia thanked the state institutions and bodies for their efforts on investigating the importance of beekeeping in Serbia.

The sitting was chaired by Subcommittee Chairman Milija Miletic, and attended by Subcommittee members Dalibor Radicevic and MA Marko Milenkovic.