The Serbian government is working to promote agricultural investment in the country as it is set to join the World Trade Organization this year. Once a member, trade barriers will be significantly reduced with the other 159 member countries and prospects for exports will be notably stronger. Serbian agricultural production totaled €4 billion ($5.3 billion) in 2013 with €1.5 billion ($2 billion) from exports, according to press reports, and it is estimated that these figures could climb to in excess of €10 billion by 2020. Investors have been reluctant to invest in the country because successive governments have been repeatedly changing national policy upon election, and because of difficulty in accessing credit. Currently the government is working on a long-term, ten year agricultural strategy, but implementation could prove to be a problem, and once the country gains accession to the EU, money should be more readily available. The government is striving to attract agricultural investment though tax policy and incentives, and foreign investors that form partnerships with Serbian entities making products that are made with at least 51% Serbian content will have access to the Russian market at a duty of only 1%. The success of such measures will unfold in the long-term, however Serbian primary agriculture has already garnered the attention of companies from France and United Arab Emirates.
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