Organic Food for Mass Use, Plant-Based Meat, Innovations – 2021 Retrospective, Investments in Agriculture and Food Industry

Agriculture has long since become an industry in which it is no longer enough to work as before, if your want to be competitive. New technologies and knowledge are the precondition for fighting climate change, pests, but also prices. It’s no wonder, then, that there are increasing investments in innovations, but also that large companies are oriented toward investing their profit in the agrarian sector and food processing.

In the year behind us, there were significant projects in this field, and we present those that drew the most attention.

1. Organic Food Complex on 4,000 ha in Banat – Investors Iza and Samo Login

The creators of the famous video game Talking Tom, which was globally popular at one point, the Slovenians Iza and Samo Login sold the company for a billion dollars and bought more than 4,000 hectares of land in Banat, where they plan to enter the business of organic production.

– We chose Banat because an opportunity had presented itself there and because it has the most favorable conditions for agriculture – Login said for eKapija.

His position is that food is the most important item in humankind’s future, while, at the same time, the biggest pollution problem is down to the production of food.

– Many think that energy creates the most pollution, but I believe that it’s food. If we don’t solve that problem, we will create impossible conditions for our survival on the planet – he said at the CEO Summit.

2. Launching of Confectionery Industry Simka Candy Rush

In April, the company Candy Rush from Belgrade was pronounced the purchaser of Industrija Hrane Dunja, which contains within itself the Simka chocolate factory in Vranje. The popular Simka was sold for RSD 187.9 million.

It was also announced that, in the future, Simka could be produced in Sabac, instead of Vranje, which was eventually confirmed in June, when it was said that EUR 8 million would be invested in the chocolate factory which will employ 120 workers.

3. Nestle Plant-Based Meat Production Surcin

In November, the Secretariat for Environmental Protection of the City of Belgrade advertised a public review of the request for the deciding on the necessity of an environmental impact assessment for the project of the production facility of Nestle PBMS in Surcin, filed by the company Nestle Adriatic S doo Beograd.

According to the project prepared by the New Belgrade-based company D.A. Dizajn Arhitektura doo, the plan is to build a facility for Nestle PBMS (Plant Based Meal Solutions), where four kinds of products will be produced (stake, medallion, breast and filet), based on soy, gluten, rapeseed oil, yeast extract, flour, vinegar and water, with added aromas.

4. Matijevic Agrar Investments in Mirotin Group – Banat Oil Factory, Sava Kovacevic Agricultural Company, Ecka Fish Pond…

In August, the company Matijevic Agrar, through its company MPZ Agrar, became the majority owner of Mirotin Group from Vrbas, through the purchase of the edible oil factory Banat.

With this, it also became the majority owner of the following companies: Sava Kovacevic from Vrbas, the Mirotin Tisa mill from Savino Selo, Ribarsko Gazdinstvo Ecka from Lukino Selo, the Dana dairy from Vrbas, Agrovojvodina Komercservis AD from Novi Sad and Agrimax from Vrbas.

The company also owns Mirotin Energo, Mirotin Vet, Mirotin Invest from Vrbas and Mirotin Crna Gora from Podgorica.

5. Agromarket Fertico Production of Liquid and Water-Soluble Fertilizers Indjija

In January, the Fertico factory was moved to Indjija, next to the existing Agromarket distribution center, where a test run subsequently started.

– Our aim is to implement new technologies in plant feeding in Serbia, in local agriculturists. We currently cover 30% of the local market with this type of goods, but we plan to have an even bigger market share in the future. The company is also export-oriented, and most of the exports go to Italy, Russia, Turkey, Romania, Armenia and Lebanon – explains Tanja Mijatovic, a representative of Fertico.

6. Knjaz Milos New Production Hall and Syrup Factory

The company Knjaz Milos plans to build a new factory complex for the production and storage of goods in Arandjelovac in the upcoming period. In October, the Municipality of Arandjelovac published the urban project of the future complex which will spread on an area of 6,600.26 m2.

7. Milica Winery

The Aleksandrovacka Zupa Area, known for its viticulture and wine production, will get another winery by March 2022 – the Milica Winery.



– The winery will have a capacity of up to 20,000 liters a year. In addition to the cellar and rooms meant for the production of wine, the design also features a tasting room, which extends into a spacious balcony with a view to the gorgeous landscapes of Zupa – Milica Popovic said for eKapija.

8. Agrosolar Kula

Fintel Energija and its partner company MK Group are bringing a big innovation to Serbia and the region. The project is called Agrosolar Kula, the first agrivoltaics project in Serbia and the Balkans and also the largest project of its kind in Europe.

The investment is worth EUR 340 million and will be realized in the territory of the Municipality of Kula. The beginning of the Agrosolar Kula project is planned for April 2022, and the realization will take slightly over a year.

9. Agro Milanovic Ivanjica Cooling Plant for 1,000 Tons of Frozen Fruit

In February, the company Agro Milovanovic from Ivanjica announced the beginning of the construction of a cooling plant, which is to operate at temperatures below zero, and the plan is to store fruit at –18 to –20 degrees Celsius. The total area of the facility is around 770 m2 and it consists of two chambers, the total capacity of which is 1,000 tons of frozen fruit. The facility is primarily meant for the storage of raspberries and blackberries.

10. New Building of BioSense Institute Novi Sad

In January, the European Investment Bank gave approval for the beginning of the construction of a new building of the BioSense Institute in Novi Sad.



As announced earlier, the new building will be unique in Serbia, because, thanks to its special antivibration characteristics, it will enable the use of state-of-the-art scientific equipment that is necessary for the development of micro and nano electronics, sensors and other devices. This will put a powerful tool at the disposal of Serbian agriculturists, leading to healthier and larger crops, since the new building will make the scientists’ job easier.

We presented the ten investments which eKapija’s readers found the most interesting when it comes to agriculture and food industry. Make sure to look at the full list HERE.

We also invite you to take a look at the investments which marked the year 2021 in the fields of SPORTS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND IT, TOURISM, ECOLOGY, UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY and HEALTHCARE.

Login eko doo

Grad Beograd, Sekretarijat za zaštitu životne sredine

Industrija hrane Dunja d.o.o Beograd

Candy Rush doo Beograd

Grad Beograd

Nestle Adriatic S Beograd

D.A.Dizajn arhitektura doo Beograd

MPZ AGRAR DVA DRUŠTVO SA OGRANIČENOM ODGOVORNOŠĆU NOVI SAD

Mirotin d.o.o. Vrbas

Fabrika ulja a.d. Banat Nova Crnja

SAVA KOVAČEVIĆ VRBAS

Ribarsko gazdinstvo Ečka Lukino Selo

P.P. Sava Kovačević A.D. Vrbas

Agrovojvodina komercservis doo Novi Sad

Mirotin-Tisa Savino Selo

Opština Aranđelovac

MILICA POPOVIĆ PR PROIZVODNJA VINA VINARIJA MILICA STANJEVO

BioSense Novi Sad

AGRO MILOVANOVIĆ d.o.o. Ivanjica

Evropska investiciona banka EIB

MK Group d.o.o. Beograd

Fintel Energija a.d. Beograd

Knjaz Miloš a.d. Aranđelovac

Agromarket d.o.o. Kragujevac

Fertico d.o.o. Inđija

Agrimax d.o.o. Vrbas

Mirotin-energo Vrbas

MIROTIN VET DOO VRBAS

Nestle PBMS

Mirotin group

Mirotin invest

Mirotin Montenegro

Iza Login

Samo Login

Tanja Mijatović

Milica Popović

Banat

CEO Summit

organic food

Talking Tom

chocolate factory

environmental impact assessment

plant based food products

stakes

medallions

breast meat

fillets

new plant feeding technologies

production hall

syrup factory

urban project

Agrosolar Kula

agrienergy project

cooling plant

frozen fruit

raspberries

blackberries