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Agriculture of Serbia is undeveloped regarding the European countries and countries of the world, but this segment certainly records enviable results. The success of agricultural production and the food industry is reflected in the fact that the state succeeds to produce quality (standardized) market surpluses and places it on the international markets. Despite the greater number of specifics of agricultural production (seasonal character of work, mismatching production time and work, increasing the starting material, slow turnover of funds, expertise of agricultural producers, etc.), agricultural and food industry are the only activity of the economy which records the growing value of agricultural participation in GDP creation. In 2016, the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fishing (AFF) to GDP was 6.5%, and real GDP growth was 8.1%.
Agricultural and food industry are the only activities of the Serbian economy that record surplus in foreign trade. In the period 2011-2016, the share of exports of AFF in total exports of the country ranged from 5.9% in 2013 to 8.5% in 2012, and in 2016 it was completed with a share of 7.1%. The foreign trade balance of the agro-food industry in the six-year period recorded a surplus, with a total of EUR 1,624 mln in 2016. Considering that the share of agro-food industry export in 2016 was 22% it can be said that the importance of agriculture for the country is very high.
Considering that the data about the export of agricultural and food products from the SORS is characterized as the most wanted, it is important to mention the first 5 export partner countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia and Germany.
Therefore, in the agricultural and food industry, there is constant export growth, both by the number of participating companies and by the value of their exports. The results show that Serbia's development strategy must be based on increasing exports of agricultural food products and can be realized by intensifying existing production.
Materials and Method
The goal of this paper is to point out the significance and role of export agriculture and food industry in the development of Serbia. This paper, also, seeking solutions for its improvement and increase. Researched results related to the contribution of export agriculture and food industry in the development of Serbia are based on relevant data which are taken from the electronic data base of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (SORS). Figures are prepared by authors based on the original data of SORS. The goal of research of significance and role of export of agriculture and food industry in the development of Serbia was accomplished by the application of descriptive and comparative analysis, using statistical and mathematical method to explain export of economy, agriculture and food industry.