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PKS: Pad konditorske proizvodnje za 10,7 odsto

Konditorska industrija Srbije u prvih sedam meseci ove godine proizvela je 69.000 tona slatkiša, što je za 10,7 odsto manje nego u istom periodu 2008. godine, saopšteno je u Privrednoj komori Srbije (PKS)


Kako je rečeno na sednici Grupacije proizvođača konditorskih proizvoda, najveći pad proizvodnje je kod vafla, ostalih čokoladnih proizvoda, ratluka i alve, dok se najbolje održala proizvodnja biskvita i čokolade.
Spoljnotrgovinska razmena konditorskih proizvoda je u prvih sedam meseci ove godine za 14 odsto manja nego u istom periodu 2008. Zabeleženo je da je uvoz u značajnijem padu od izvoza, tako da je ostvaren suficit od 28,4 miliona dolara, što je povećanje od 16 odsto.
Potrošnja konditorskih proizvoda je za sedam meseci opala za 19 odsto i iznosila je oko 55.700 tona. U ukupnoj potrošnji u Srbiji, domaći konditorski proizvodi imaju udeo od 81 odsto, a strani 19 odsto.
Predsednik Grupacije proizvođača konditorskih proizvoda Miroljub Aleksić ocenio je da su konditori u Srbiji u lošem položaju i da država treba da obezbedi iste uslove poslovanja kao u Evropi i ravnopravan tretman sa evropskim proizvođačima. Kako je rekao, problem je netržišna i nerealna cena sirovina.
Aleksić je podsetio da proizvođači konditorskih proizvoda zahtevaju da se ukinu prelevmani na uvoz mleka u prahu, prelevmani na uvoz šećera, carine na uvoz biljnih masti koje se ne proizvode u zemlji, kao i da se smanje carine na uvoz lešnika i surutke u prahu.
Direktor beogradskog preduzeća "Kobex" Nenad Šaletić upozorio je na visoke cene analiza pri uvozu sirovina.
- Pri uvozu mleka u prahu analize plaćamo čak 20 do 25 dinara po kilogramu. Tako se dešava da za uzorkovanje robe u jednom kamionu platimo i do 20.000 evra, a poređenja radi u Nemačkoj bilo koja analiza košta 500 evra - rekao je Šaletić.



Cvetković: Suficit agrara 320 miliona dolara za pola 2009.

Premijer Srbije Mirko Cvetković izjavio je da se Srbija nalazi na kraju uspešne poljoprivredne sezone i da je u prvoj polovini godine ostvaren suficit u spoljnotrgovinskoj razmeni poljoprivrednih proizvoda veći od 320 miliona dolara, što će doprineti smanjenju ukupnog spoljnotrgovinskog deficita


- Očekujemo da će proizvodnja svih ratarskih kultura u ovoj godini zabeležiti rast, što će obezbediti pozitivan efekat na bruto domaći proizvod zemlje - rekao je Cvetković na otvaranju Nacionalne konferencije "Agrobizni Srbije 2010 - međunarodne integracije i perspektive" u beogradskom hotelu "Hajat".
Premijer je istakao da, bez obzira na dobre rezultate u 2009. godini, u poljoprivredni sektor mora konstantno da se ulaže, zbog čega će biti nastavljeno subvencionisanje i drugi oblici podrške za poljoprivredu. On je naglasio da je razvoj poljoprivrede jedan od stubova ravnomernog regionalnog razvoja zemlje i dodao da je stabilizovano svetsko tržište poljoprivrednih proizvoda jer se predviđa blagi rast tražnje i održanje postojećih nivoa cena.
Ministar poljoprivrede Saša Dragin rekao je da očekuje da će suficit u spoljnotrgovinskoj razmeni poljoprivrednih proizvoda do kraja godine premašiti prošlogodišnji, koji je bio oko 600 miliona dolara, što će, kako je dodao, pokazati pravu snagu srpskog agrara, čak i u vreme ekonomske krize. On je istakao da je Ministarstvo poljoprivrede izradilo program razvoja poljoprivrede od 2009. do 2011. godine, koji predstavlja sveobuhvatan program zakonodavnog i institucionalnog jačanja, kao i mere agrarne politike i subvencionisanja. Dragin je naveo da su u tom programu ključne tri grupe mera - tržišne, investicione i mere opšteg karaktera, usmerene na celokupno unapređenje srpske poljoprivrede.
- Ovo je ključna godina za poljoprivredu Srbije što se tiče uvođenja novog evropskog zakonodavstva u naš agrar - rekao je on i dodao da to Ministarstvo trenutno organizuje posebne delove, potrebne za prihvatanje sredstava iz Evropske unije.
Dragin je istakao da je Ministarstvo poljoprivrede pre tri meseca napravilo sistematizaciju radnih mesta, smanjivši broj zaposlenih za 10 odsto, i izrazio očekivanje da će agrarni budžet u 2010. biti veći od ovogodišnjeg, koji iznosi oko 16 milijardi dinara.
Direktor Misije USAID-a u Srbiji Majkl Harvi rekao je da je poljoprivredni sektor jedan od pogonskih motora srpske ekonomije i istakao da suficit koji se ostvaruje u tom sektoru predstavlja nadu da čitava ekonomija može da se pokrene napred. On je podsetio da je USAID kroz agrobiznis program pružio pomoć srpskom poljoprivrednom sektoru od 20 miliona dolara, radi poboljšanja produktivnosti i konkurentnosti.
Na konferenciji je najavljeno učešće više od 150 menadžera agrobiznisa u Srbiji, predstavnika proizvođača, asocijacija, međunarodnih organizacija i naučnih institucija. Skup je organizovalo Udruženje novinara za poljoprivredu "Agropres", u saradnji sa Agrobiznis projektom USAID-a i uz podršku Minstarstva poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Srbije.



Vraća se poverenje u berzu

Iako blago i sa zastojima, tržište kapitala u Srbiji poslednjih nekoliko meseci pokazuje znake oporavka, a posle opreznog rasta indeksa na Beogradskoj berzi, moglo bi da usledi i oživljavanje berzanskog trgovanja hartijama od vrednosti, s obzirom na to da se interesovanje domaćih i stranih ulagača polako vraća


Istina je da su tome doprineli i sve povoljniji izveštaji sa sa međunarodnih berzi, pre svega njujorške, frankfurtske i londonske, ali se mora istaći i činjenica da je pad indeksa na Beogradskoj berzi bio niži nego na drugim tržištima iza regiona. Primera radi, krizu je najbolje preživela Ljubljanska berza, gde je pad indeksa iznosio oko 0,11. Beogradska berza bila je na nivou od 0,25, a mnogo veće padove doživele su Makedonska (0,73), Zagrebačka (0,86) i Sarajevska berza (3,6) - započinje razgovor za Danas direktor Akcijskog fonda Aleksandar Gračanac i dodaje da u ohrabrujuće podatke svrstava i to što vrednost državnih hartija od vrednosti, kojima ta institucija trguje na tržištu kapitala, u junu, julu, avgustu i septembru, u odnosu na isti period prošle godine, i pored ekonomske krize nije drastično umanjena i da pad iznosi svega četiri do šest odsto.

Akcijski fond trguje državnim paketom akcija domaćih firmi. Da li postoji rok za prodaju tih udela?

- Akcijski fond je formiran 2002. godine, kao specijalizovana, profesionalna institucija na finansijskom tržištu, na kome, kao nominalni vlasnik svih državnih akcija preduzeća, trguje sa ciljem da ostvari priliv investicija, razvoj tržišta kapitala, nediskriminaciju svih učesnika na tržištu i maksimiziranje prihoda od privatizacije. Ne postoji zakonski rok u kome bi državne akcije trebalo da promene vlasnika, a od Fonda se očekuje da taj posao vodi razložno i planski. Reč je o specifičnoj instituciji na finansijskom tržištu, čije je delatnost regulisana kroz pet zakona ( o Akcijskom fondu, o privrednim društvima, o preuzimanju akcionarskih društava, o tržištu hartijama od vrednosti i o privatizaciji). On ne može da ima druge ingerencije, niti nadležnosti Fonda mogu da se oduzmu i prebace negde drugde, a na isti način funkcionišu i slične institucije u svetu.

Koliko je učešće Akcijskog fonda značajno za Beogradsku berzu?

- Na srpskom tržištu kapitala Fond je odigrao pionirsku ulogu, jer se pre njegovog osnivanja na Beogradskoj berzi nisu prometovale akcije. Uz to, zahvaljujući Akcijskom fondu i privatizaciji, istorijski maksimum vrednosti indeksa na Beogradskoj berzi ostvaren je 3. maja 2007. godine, kada je iznosio 3..335,20 indeksnih poena, a značajan podatak je i da se u indeksnoj korpi BELEX15 nalazi osam firmi iz portfelja Akcijskog fonda

U berzanskom trgovanju značajno je učešće firmi čije se akcije nalaze u portfelju Akcijskog fonda, a u poslednjih nekoliko meseci taj udeo je dostizao i osam odsto. Kakva je struktura preduzeća čije akcije plasira Akcijski fond?

- Od ukupno oko 600 kompanija koje se sada nalaze u porfelju Akcijskog fonda, značajan je broj onih čiji su manjinski paketi akcija tu dospeli prema odredbama zakona o svojinskoj transformaciji iz 1997. godine. U tenderskoj proceduri već se nalazi oko 30 preduzeća iz te grupe, poput Simpa, Laste, Progresa, Holdinga Mejevica, dok su preostali paketi (među kojima je Mostogradnja, Tigar, Energoprojekt, Novosti, Politika...) spremni za prodaju, ali još nisu donete odluke na koji način će to biti učinjeno. Takođe, Fond trguje i akcijama oko 400 firmi koje su bile privatizovane, ali su ugovori sa kupcima raskinuti a tu je uglavnom reč o većinskom paketu. Iz te grupe preduzeća već smo prodali 110, u stečaju se nalazi 118, a u preostalima su imenovani zastupnici državnog kapitala, formirana je upravljačka struktura i menadžment, i one se pripremaju za prodaju. Za neke od njih već je određeno da će se naći u tenderskom postupku, poput Župe, Elektroizgradnje, Severtransa i Fontane iz Vrnjačke Banje, dok na odluku o metodu prodaje još čekaju Tehnohemija Beograd, Tržnica Subotica, Vršački vinogradi. Do sada, Akcijski fond je prodajom manjinskih paketa 1.411 firmi realizovao 710 miliona evra. U prošloj godini, za prodate akcije 235 kompanija, ostvaren je prihod od 90 miliona evra, a ove godine, od prodaje 130 paketa u državni budžet se slilo sedam miliona evra. Ali, jedan od dobrih rezultata je i to što je prilikom prodaje sačuvano više od 50 srpskih brendova (Knjaz Miloš, Soja protein, Alfaplam, Metalac, Sintelon, Imlek, Hemofarm...)

Akcijski fond je od 2005. godine dobio u nadležnost i da imenuje zastupnike kapitala u firmama u kojima su raskinuti ugovori o privatizaciji. Na koji način se vrši izbor kadrova za te funkcije?

- Uobičajena procedura koju primenjujemo jeste da se konsultujemo sa sindikatima, sa kojima inače imamo odličnu saradnju, zatim pitamo i manjinske akcionare, lokalnu samoupravu, okrug, opštinu, eventualno regionalne komore. To odlično funkcioniše, a jedan od najboljih primera dobrog rada zastupnika je kruševačka Župa, gde je posle višemesečnih štrajkova raskinut ugovor o privatizaciji. Ruiniranu firmu u kojoj je, između ostalog bila zaustavljena i proizvodnja strateškog proizvoda, hlora, 2006. godine preuzeo je Akcijski fond, a zastupnik kapitala koji je imenovan i za direktora, uspeo je uz našu pomoć da broj zaposlenih smanji sa 1.000 na 500, da pokrene pogone i plasira proizvodnju na tržišta u 12 zemalja. Takođe, dobrog zastupnika kapitala imali smo i u Putniku, koji je prvi put prodat za pet miliona evra, a kada je ugovor raskinut i u Akcijskom fondu firma pripremljena za prodaju, postignuta je cena od 40 miliona evra. Interesantno je i da u većini firmi koje ponudimo na berzi posle raskinutog privatizacionog ugovora, postignemo bolju cenu nego kod prve prodaje, što može biti jedno od merila našeg rada.

Akcijski fond prodaje i akcije iz Privatizacionog registra. Kakvi su efekti iz tog posla?

- Nalog od Agencije za privatizaciju da možemo da počnemo sa prodajom tih paketa, dobili smo krajem maja prošle godine, i do septembra, do izbijanja svetske ekonomske krize, uspeli smo da prodamo akcije 41 kompanije, a ostvaren prihod od 89 miliona evra nalazi se okamaćen kod poslovne banke. I tu smo uspeli da za svaku kompaniju postignemo u proseku za 30 odsto veću cenu od one koja je bila tokom privatizacije, a reč je akcijama Beogradske pekarske industrije, Rafinetrije nafte, beočinskog Lafarža, Centrotekstila, Holcima, DDOR-a Novi Sad. Sa tog spiska ostalo je još 60 kompanija, među njima je su duvanske industrije iz Niša i Vranja, leskovačko Zdravlje ili Savremena administracija, ali njihove akcije sada čekaju pravi trenutak za prodaju.

Kako određujete kada je povoljno vreme za prodaju nekih akcija?

- Svaku prodaju nam diktira tržište. Reagujemo onoga trenutka kada registrujemo da se cene akcija pomeraju na gore, a u trgovanju primenjujemo dve metodologije. Jedna je preovlađujuća cena, kada paket od 20 ili 30 odsto akcija neke firme „razbijemo“ i dok god ima konkurencije prilikom prodaje, koja prema pravilniku Berze omogućava da se narednog dana cena podigne za 20 odsto, plasiramo po jedan do dva odsto akcija. Drugi je metod minimalne cene, a od osnivanja Akcijskog fonda, moja odluka bila je da ni jedan većinski paket ne prodamo ispod 50 odsto knjigovodstvene (sada je to obračunska) vrednost, a kada je reč o preduzećima gde je privatizacija raskinuta i koje se lošije kotiraju, cena ne ide ispod 20 do 30 odsto od obračunske.



Investitori nemaju gde da se vrate

Pitanje je kada će se investitori vratiti u zemlje jugoistočne Evrope i da li imaju u šta da se vrate. Srbija je prodala finansijski sektor, tu nema više šta da se investira, a inače se relativno malo ulagalo u industriju zbog toga što je jeftinija radna snaga, na primer, u Kini nego u Evropi, rekao je juče profesor ekonomije na Univerzitetu u Ljubljani Jože Mencinger na Međunarodnoj konferenciji posvećenoj efektima svetske ekonomske krize na tranziciju u zemljama jugoistočne Evrope



On je naglasio da je najveći problem zemalja Evropske unije to što su dozvolili da multinacionalne kompanije izlaze napolje bez poštovanja socijalnih normi. „Sad Evropska unija nikako ne može da bude konkurentna Kinezima koji rade šest dana u nedelji za 50 ili 100 evra mesečno. To kod nas ne može i prirodno je da će Evropa težiti tome da zatvori svoje tržište“ rekao je Mencinger. On je istakao da je Evropa zanemarila to da je kriza došla zbog toga što nema dovoljno potražnje, usled čega je efikasnost privrede stvorila višak proizvoda. Situacija u Sloveniji sada ide na bolje i građani su više zabrinuti nego što realno ima razloga za to, kaže Mencinger.

Govoreći o iskustvima tranzicije kroz koju je prošla Mađarska, Andraš Inotai sa Svetskog ekonomskog instituta iz Budimpešte rekao je da 90 odsto stanovnika ove zemlje 1988. uopšte nije znalo šta ih očekuje u budućnosti, a da ih je danas najmanje 95 odsto svesno toga šta znači biti član NATO-a i Evropske unije. On je istakao da je Mađarska za 20 godina mnogo napredovala, ali da postoje još uvek negativne stvari koje tek treba da budu rešene, kao što je na primer povratak ideologije u ekonomiju i međunarodne odnose.



Italijanske firme najavile dolazak u Šumadiju

Pojedine italijanske firme koje su otvorile fabrike u Rumuniji, zainteresovane su da svoje pogone izmeste u Kragujevac, odnosno u industrijsku zonu Korman polje, gde će biti lociran i veći broj kompanija u kojima će se proizvoditi delovi za ugradnju u Fijatove automobile

Za izmeštanje proizvodnje iz Rumunije u centar Šumadije zainteresovane su, saznaje Danas, italijanske firme iz mašinske, operativno-građevinske i drvno-prerađivačke delatnosti. Industrijska zona u Kormanskom polju koju, kraj auto - puta od Kragujevca do Koridora 10, formiraju ovdašnja gradska uprava i Vlada Srbije, prostiraće se na oko 15 hektara, i u njoj će biti locirano između deset i 14 italijanskih kompanija koje će biti prateća industrija Fijata, kao i fabrika autobusa Iveko.

Fijat je prošlog meseca nadležnima u Srbiji dostavio projektnu dokumentaciju za izgradnju pogona 15 italijanskih kompanija (14 Fijatovih dobavljača i Iveko) u industrijskoj zoni u Kormanskom polju, a nezvanično saznajemo da je do sada sedam kooperanata potvrdilo dolazak u Kragujevac.



Prve pozajmice od oktobra

Vladin program subvencionisanih stambenih kredita počeće da se primenjuje prekosutra, ali za sada samo u tri banke - Komercijalnoj, Hipo banci i Intezi, koje su prve potpisale ugovor sa državom, mada u Ministarstvu ekonomije najavljuju da će taj broj uskoro biti uvećan

Međutim, budući da je ove godine predviđeno samo 450 miliona dinara za subvencije, što je dovoljno za samo nekoliko stotina stanova, pitanje je da li će tim novcem uspeti da se podmiri velika tražnja za ovim pozajmicama. Na drugoj strani, neizvesno je i da li će biti dovoljno stanova u novogradnji za koje može da se dobije jeftiniji kredit.

Potpredsednik Privredne komore Beograda Slobodan Korać, smatra da je to što je Vlada pokrenula projekat subvencionisanja kamata na stambene kredite „u svakom slučaju odlično“, ali da u Beogradu, gde se očekuje najveća potražnja, trenutno ima jako malo raspoloživih stanova.

- U narednih šest do sedam meseci završiće se izgradnja samo 1.000 stanova, iako realno postoji tražnja za 10.000 jedinica svake godine. Izgradnja nekretnina je prepolovljena ove godine, za šta je najodgovornija trenutna administracija u Beogradu, koja jako sporo izdaje dozvole za gradnju, tako da je sve praktično stalo. Prethodna administracija je bila korumpirana, a ova kao da je potpuno prestala da izdaje dozvole. Zbog toga će i rezultati Vladinog plana doći sporo, jer ako je potrebno godinu dana da se dobije dozvola i još godinu dana da se izgradi objekat, jasno je koliko će vremena proteći dok ne zažive subvencionisani krediti - tvrdi Korać.

Na drugoj strani, pojedine banke su već spremne da počnu da odobravaju nove kredite, a već prema prvim najavama, jasno je da će kamate biti čak i niže od maksimalno dozvoljenih od 4,9 odsto plus euribor, koliko je propisala Vlada Srbije. Tako u banci Inteza tvrde da će kamatu obračunavati prema formuli euribor plus 4,5 odsto, dok će ostale dve banke svoje tarife obelodaniti danas i sutra.

- Banka Inteza je do sada učestvovala u svim programima subvencionisanog kreditiranja koje je Vlada pokrenula, prvenstveno u nastojanju da svojim klijentima omogući pristup povoljnijim modalitetima finansiranja, pa se u skladu sa tim opredeljenjem priključila i novom Vladinom modelu. Interesovanje za ovu vrstu pozajmica je veliko, kao što je bio slučaj i sa ranijim modelima subvencionisanih stambenih kredita. Očekujemo da na ovaj način veliki broj građana, pre svega mladih ljudi koji žive kod roditelja ili kao podstanari, dobiju priliku da kupe stan na kredit po značajno konkurentnijoj ceni od tržišne - kažu u Intezi.

U ovoj banci ističu da će uslovi odobravanja biti standardni, u skladu sa Vladinom uredbom, što znači da će do kraja oktobra 2012. godine klijenti plaćati samo osnovnu ratu, dok će posle mesečna obaveza biti viša za pomenutu kamatnu stopu od 4,5 procenata uvećanih za šestomesečnu vrednost euribora. Građani koji budu uzimali ovakav zajam moraće da obezbede pet odsto učešća, dok će dodatnih 20 odsto učešća finansirati država, tako da će kredit banke iznositi 75 procenata od vrednosti stana. Pošto klijent otplati kredit banci, narednih pet godina vraćaće učešće koje je dobio od države, ali bez ikakve kamate. Maksimalni iznos kredita je 100.000 evra, a minimalni 10.000, uz rok otplate od najviše 30 godina, s tim što kredite neće moći da uzmu stariji od 45 godina.

Kao i Inteza i Komercijalna banka će kredite početi da nudi već od 1. oktobra, ali će precizne uslove, uključujući i kamatnu stopu, definisati tek danas.

- Očekujemo visoko interesovanje građana, koji će na ovaj način moći da jeftinije dođu do kredita - naglasio je Goran Milićević, izvršni direktor za razvoj novih proizvoda Komercijalne banke.



Average salary drops 3.6% M/M

The average net salary in Serbia in August amounted to RSD 31,338 (EUR 334), which is down 3.6 percent from July in real terms and 3.7 percent in nominal terms. Compared to July 2008, the average net salary dropped 1.4 percent in real terms, but went up 6.4 percent in nominal terms.

The largest average net salary is recorded in New Belgrade (RSD 47,142). The average net salary in central Serbia amounted to RSD 31,487 and the average salary in Vojvodina RSD 30,933.



Average salary drops 3.6% M/M

The average net salary in Serbia in August amounted to RSD 31,338 (EUR 334), which is down 3.6 percent from July in real terms and 3.7 percent in nominal terms. Compared to July 2008, the average net salary dropped 1.4 percent in real terms, but went up 6.4 percent in nominal terms.

The largest average net salary is recorded in New Belgrade (RSD 47,142). The average net salary in central Serbia amounted to RSD 31,487 and the average salary in Vojvodina RSD 30,933.



Crisis does not affect Serbian tourism

The global economic crisis has not affected tourism in Serbia. Serbia is the only country in Europe to record an increase in the number of tourists. The number of tourists increased 7 percent and the number overnight stays is also higher than in 2008.

Serbia had 380,000 tourists in H1 2009 and foreign currency inflow amounted to approximately USD 340 million. Tourist agencies say the number of Serbian tourists visiting other countries increased as well. The Serbs mostly traveled to Greece, Montenegro, Turkey and Bulgaria.



Zastava Arms launched new carbines for big game hunters – first shipment for US company EEA

At the specialized polygon for final testing in Ilina Voda, the constructors from company “Zastava Arms” have presented two new hunting carbines produced in Kragujevac-based factory. Models M808 and M70 are completely made of polymer, while their barrels are made of stainless steel. M808 weighs 3.95 kg, and M70 is 800 grams lighter. Carbines are based on Mauser system improved with a number of innovations.

These carbines are intended for big game hunters, and the US partner - company EAA (European American Arms), has already placed an order for the first shipment of these rifles for the needs of its clients. These two carbines will have their premiere in our market on October 6th at the Novi Sad Trade Fair of Hunting, Fishing, Sport and Tourism – LORIST. The price of M808 with hickory butt is 66,000 RSD, while M70 costs 44,500 RSD.

The CEO of the Kragujevac-based factory, Rade Gromović, reminded that "Zastava Arms" was the company that exported 95% of its products, and he pointed out that, in constant search of new and better products, the constructors had “hit the bull’s eye this time”.

The presentation took place in the presence of large number of journalists and guests, including our celebrated shooter Stevan Pletikosić. By hitting the center of a round target, he demonstrated all the qualities of new “Zastava” carbines in the best possible way.



A Belarus trade and industrial chamber opens in Serbia

The representative office of Belarus Chamber of Trade and Industry opens today in Belgrade, as a part of the two-day visit of political and business delegation is paying to Serbia, announced the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. A press release reads that the business forum for the two countries’ businessmen will be held tomorrow, while business council Serbia-Belarus is to be held on September 30. According to an announcement, Serbia and Belarus are to sign an agreement on economic cooperation. According to the data provided by the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, in H1 2009, bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to USD 23.7 million and shrunk by 28% against the same period last year. Serbia’s deficit in bilateral trade with Belarus, in H1 2009, amounted to USD 88 million, because goods worth USD 16.3 million were exported to Belarus, while Serbia imported USD7.4mn worth goods from this country.



Meridian Bank Credit Agricole Group changes name to Credit Agricole Banka Srbija

Meridian bank announced yesterday that it planned to change its name in Credit Agricole Serbia, which means that it is to take over the name of its mother-company, French Credit Agricole Group. Over the past two years, the bank invested more than EUR90mn in Serbia, while it got subsidized loan amounting to EUR 40mn from its mother-company in order to support future placements in long-term and housing loans on the market. “The proof that we managed to adopt CA’s way of doing business quickly is that our bank is one of the first banks within the group which took the name Credit Agricole instead of its local name,” Francois-Edouard Drion, the president of the bank’s EB. Besides the alteration of its name, Credit Agricole Bank changed headquarters – it is now located in Belgrade’s Sava Center.



Italian companies showed interest in relocating their production to Kragujevac

Certain Italian companies which opened factories in Romania show interest in relocating their production to Kragujevac, i.e. industrial zone Korman polje, where a number of producers of Fiat’s car parts are to be relocated. Italian companies interested in relocating their production from Romania to the center of Sumadija, mostly operate in machinery, construction and wood processing industry, Danas daily learns. Industrial zone Korman polje, located near Kragujevac-Corridor 10 highway, is formed by city authorities and the government of Serbia. When it is completed, it will take up 15 hectares and host between 10 and 14 Italian factories, which will be accompanying industry to Fiat, as well as to Iveco bus producer.



Slovakian Aid to Serbia's Environmental Agriculture

Slovakia will use development aid to transfer its experiences and support the creation of ecological agricultural cooperation in Serbia, in order for the European Commission to include Serbia on the list of third-world countries whose bio-products don’t have to have additional certificates. The project dubbed “The construction of the system of ecological agricultural production on the European level” starts on October 7-8 in Novi Sad, Slovakian media report. Slovakian partner is Agricultural Institute from Bratislava, while Serbian partner is the Ministry of Agriculture. As a part of the mentioned project, Serbian legislature will be harmonized with the European legislature, institutions for ecological production will be prepared for the EU accession, while inspections will be trained and accredited to handle bio-products according to European standards.



Belgrade-Ljig Road in March

Infrastructure Minister Milutin Mrkonjic stated yesterday that the works on the construction of Belgrade-South Adriatic road, Belgrade-Ljig section, are to begin as soon as March 1, 2010. The government earmarked EUR 100mn for the project. Project documentation will be completed by the end of 2009, said Mrkonjic. Yesterday, he attended a gala organized on occasion of the beginning of works on the construction and reconstruction of regional road from Ub to Karaula, which will be 3km long.



Turkey and Romania Interested in South Stream Gas Pipeline

Turkey, Romania and some other countries are showing interest in South Stream gas pipeline, stated Alexei Miller, Gazprom’s CEO. "We see a large interest being displayed by countries that are not yet participating in the project. Yes, indeed, there are a number of countries showing interest in taking part," Alexei Miller said in response to a question on whether Turkey and Romania were interested in the project, RIA novosti reports. Bulgaria earlier spoke about the possibility of quitting the project. According to RIA novosti, that may change the pipeline’s route. However, Miller said that he saw no problems with the countries that had already signed agreements on the project's implementation. On May 15, 2009, in Sochi, Gazprom signed South Stream contracts with Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Italy and Greece. The same contracts should have been signed with Austria and Slovenia.



E-Certificates as of October 19

Certification Commission at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce announced that it was going to issue qualified e-certificates as of October 19. On September 11, the Ministry for Telecommunications and Information Society gave the status of the qualified certification institution to the Commission, The Director of E-Business and IT Center, Djuro Vojnovic, stressed that the Chamber has passed through a very complex procedure of certification during which it fulfilled all conditions envisaged by the Law on Electronic Signature and sub-legal acts. A substantial amount of money was invested in training and certification of four experts. Requests for getting e-certificates will be submitted to the Chamber and all necessary documents and the procedure are described on www.pks.rs. After the documents are checked, interested companies will get contracts and e-certificate on a smart card. All companies which ate the members of the Chamber will get the certificate and smart card reader free of charge.



France’s Danone reportedly mulls acquiring UK Salford’s local food businesses

The negotiations between multinational Danone and Salford, concerning the sale of a large part of dairies this company owns in Serbia, are currently under way – confirmed yesterday for Dnevnik daily Salford’s director for Serbia, Slobodan Petrovic. Salford owns Danube Foods Group, the majority owner of Knjaz Milos, Bambi, Imlek, Mlekare Subotica, and several other bigger and smaller dairies across Vojvodina. “Negotiations are under way, Danone is mostly interested in dairies,” said Petrovic for Dnevnik daily.



Agricultural sector records USD 320mn foreign trade surplus in H1

Serbia’s agriculture sector posted a trade surplus of $320 million (218 million euro) in the first six months of 2009, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said on Monday.

“The surplus will have a positive effect on the growth of Serbia’s gross domestic product [GDP]. It will also help narrow the country’s overall trade gap,” Cvetkovic told a news conference.

No figures were immediately available on the value of the country's agricultural imports and exports over the review period.


Serbia’s trade deficit shrank by 44.7% year-on-year to $4.02 billion in the first seven months of 2009, the country’s statistics office said last month. Exports fell by 32.9% on the year to $4.51 billion through July, while imports dropped by an annual 39.6% to $8.53 billion.

“Despite the initial drop in demand [for agricultural products] and the decline in global agricultural prices, markets have stabilised. Our long-term projection is for a modest growth in demand and for current prices of agricultural products to remain unchanged,” Cvetkovic told the same news conference.

Together with metallurgy, farming is one of the few sectors of the Serbian economy with a positive trade balance.



Microsoft's Serbian Arm Sees FY 2010 Turnover Little Changed Despite Crisis

Microsoft’s Serbian arm, Microsoft software, projects a flat turnover of $45 million (30.7 million euro) in its current 2010 fiscal year despite the global economic slowdown, its general manager Vladan Zivanovic said.

“Our fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following calendar year. We closed our 2009 fiscal year with a turnover of some $45 million,” Zivanovic told SeeNews in an interview.

“We posted solid results in the first half of the [2009] fiscal year, that is between July 1 and November, 2008. We began to feel the effects of the financial crisis in December and since then have been detecting negative sales trends.

“We project that the trend will be reversed in this calendar year, that is the negative trend will continue in the first half but the return of the positive trend will be felt around the New Year,” Zivanovic explained, adding that Microsoft software's sales dropped around 40% in the company's 2009 fiscal year.

“But all our partnerships with the big companies have remained intact," he added:

The company generates turnover through a network of partnerships, that is by collecting fees on the basis of actual sales, Zivanovic said.

“It is difficult to calculate a precise turnover figure as many products arrive on the Serbian market with pre-installed Microsoft software and as such it is not identified as local revenue.”

Microsoft software, which employs about 100, comprises two parts – a retail marketing segment and a development centre that produces software solutions.

The company had to shelve plans to develop two more teams this year within the development centre as a result of the crisis, Zivanovic said without disclosing the size of the planned investment.

“We planned to hire 20 more people for the teams. We have not given up on these plans. They are simply on hold for now,” he said.


The biggest challenge before Microsoft’s operations in Serbia is battling software piracy, Zivanovic said. Besides IBM and Oracle, software piracy is considered the company's biggest competitor.

The government in Belgrade loses about $72 million a year as a result of software piracy, and some 74% of all software sold in Serbia is illegal, Zivanovic said, quoting a 2008 software piracy study by International Data Corporation.

“Piracy is our Achilles' heel. We started operating in Serbia in 2001 when piracy, according to our estimates, was 99%.”

“If the government loses about $72 million a year, it is safe to assume that we lose five times this amount annually,” Zivanovic said.

It doesn’t help, Zivanovic added, that neighbouring countries are reporting bigger drops in software piracy rate than Serbia.

“Russia, as well as countries in the region, has less piracy than we do. If I tell you that Serbia, only five years ago, was on a par with others, even doing better than others, then this is a truly sad fact.”

What further slows the growth of the IT sector in Serbia is the shortage of much-needed government investments in this area, Zivanovic said, adding that Serbia invests yearly about 60 euro per capita of its population in the IT sector.

“This sounds great when you consider that only a few years ago the annual investment was 10 euro per capita. But when you look at Croatia, its government invests 180 euro per capita in this sector. Slovenia invests more than 300 euro per capita, EU more than 800.”

“The IT sector is very neglected here,” Zivanovic said.

“Desktop ownership in Serbia is 0.4 personal computer per capita. When you compare this to developed nations, whichever one you pick, the ownership rate is 1.5 personal computers per capita.”

Microsoft software holds more than 90% of all desktops, laptops and software in the country, including legal and illegal ones, according to internal company surveys, Zivanovic said.



Life Segment Offers Highest Growth Prospects for Insurers in Serbia

[...] In Serbia, life insurance has the greatest potential for development as only 2.5% of the country`s population of eightmillionhas a policy for this type of insurance, Belgrade-based Grawe Osiguranje`s Managing Board President Christoph Czettl, and the Distribution Sales Network Director of Serbian majority state-owned insurer Dunav Osiguranje, Margerita Boskovic Ibrahimpasic, said.

Serbia`s undersized insurance sector is an upshot of a combination of the county`s low living standard, high inflation in recent years, and lack of insurance tradition.

"The decade-long inflation continues to undervalue the meaning of long-term insurance. The inflation has impoverished the insurers themselves, leaving stumbling blocks behind, because the products failed to make any financial sense," Boskovic Ibrahimpasic said. Serbia`s economy is still recovering from the hyperinflation it suffered during the violent breakup of former Yugoslavia and ensuing international economic sanctions in the 1990s.

NON-LIFE SEGMENT DOMINATES

In Serbia, the combined premium income ofthe 21 insurers operating in the country was 28.5 billion dinars ($450.3 million/307 million euro) at the end of the first half of 2009, NBS data showed. Theircombined premium income was 52.2 billion dinars in 2008, up from 44.8 billion dinars a year earlier.

Property insurance led with 30.2% oftotal premium revenuein Serbia at the end of the first quarterthis year, central bankdata showed. Auto insurance came second with 27.6%, followed bygeneral risk insurance, which accounted for 13.3%.

Life insurance premiums contributed 12.8% of total, while the remaining 16.1% was other non-life insurance premiums. Delta Generali Osiguranje controlled over half of the market of travel health insurance in Serbia last year, the company said in March, citing preliminary 2008 data. The company credited the growth of its market share to raised awareness about travel health insurance coverage in the former Yugoslav republic.

Czettl said the crisis has had very little effect on Serbia`s insurance sector, if at all. "But the segment hasn`t grown, so we may interpret this as one of the effects of the crisis," Czettl said.

STRONG GROWTH POTENTIAL

Fourteen of the 21 insurers, which operated in Serbia at the end of June, were majority foreign-owned.

Even though only 200,000 Serbs have life-insurance policies, 25% of Serbia`s population is willing to take out one, if they had more information, Czettl said. In Serbia, life insurance premiums account for just about 11% of all premiums.

Boskovic Ibrahimpasic agreed that the Serbian government should step up its efforts to inform the public about the importance of insurance products and the opportunities they offer as Serbia lags behind members of the European Union which it is aspiring to join.

If we compare Serbia to developed countries, we should say that the ratio of life insurance versus non-life insurance should be about 45%-55% or 50%-50%, but Serbia is far from 45%, Czettl said.

In Serbia, Dunav Osiguranje led in terms of total premium income at the end of March with 4.1 billion dinars, followed by DDOR, owned by Italy`s Fondiaria, with 3.4 billion dinars, Delta Generali, part ofItalian insurance group Generali, with 2.4 billion dinars, and Wiener RE, majority-owned by Austria`s Wiener Stadtische, with 1.05 billion dinars.

In Serbia, a new market entrant this year was the Belgrade-based Societe Generale Osiguranje which was licensed at the end of July to offer primarily life, supplemental life, and annuity insurance.

Dunav Osiguranje said it plans to expand its operations across the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as to other countries in the region with an initial focus on corporate clients in major cities, Serbian broadcaster b92 reported last month. It plans to offer retail services at a later stage.

UNEMPLOYMENT, LOW INCOME WEIGH

The average monthly salary in Serbia is some 32,000 dinars, equivalent tosome 350 euro, while the country`s unemployment rate of 15% is likely to remain unchanged throughout 2009, the country`s Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic has said.

To get a life insurance policy from Grawe one needs to pay an average premium of 500 euro per year.

"It is only reasonable that if households` budget contracts, people want to save," Czettl said.

REGULATORY DRAWBACKS

In Serbia, Grawe Insurance has come up with a set of proposals to the Finance Ministry to bring in tax reliefs, aiming to boost the potential of the country`s insurance sector, Czettl said.

"Why a man, who takes out a life insurance policy, can not qualify for a write-off or a tax refund in the amount of a percentage of the paid premium? In France, for example, a person can qualify for a tax refund in the amount of 25% of his or her premium," Czettl said.

According to him, state-sponsored reliefs may double the number of people who will buy a life insurance policy to 400,000 in the next five years.

"In Serbia, if a company pays pension insurance for its employees, it can save 3,500 dinars in taxes on a monthly basis. Why can we not apply the same, when it comes to life insurance? Such benefits do not yet exist in Serbia, but we are working towards changing that," Czettl said.



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