Stefano Zanga, Director of Agrinet – We Want to Largely Move Production from Italy to Serbia, Because We See Our Future Here

The Italian company Agrinet has been operating in Serbia since 2014, and they produce protective materials for the agricultural sector. According to Stefano Zanga, the director of Agrinet, Serbia is an excellent market for their products, and in our country they see the great potential of a constantly growing market. What sets Serbia apart from the competition, according to him, is that the price of labor and management is very good and favorable, as well as the possibility of entering the Russian market.

Agrinet produces protective materials for the entire agricultural sector. They produce anti-hail nets, shading nets, nets for protection from pests, and Zanga explains that they produce their nets at high-tech production facilities, with the help of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which protects from UV radiation and is the best product available in the market today.

– I would like to emphasize that the most important service we offer here are the 52 years of experience in this sector. We would like to transfer our Italian know-how and decades of experience to Serbia, so, the quality service and products which are produced here, locally. For now, the biggest interest pertains to apple farms, which cover nearly 90%, and there’s also a certain interest in peaches.

How aware are agriculturists in Serbia of the importance of using protective materials?

– This is a process that can be split in two parts. On one hand, large companies have long since started implementing protective materials and they are therefore very aware of the importance of using the materials. Such companies also opening other markets, because now they are also buying small orchards and they want high quality, and in order to get it, of course, they use protective materials. On the other hand, there are small and medium producers, which are, of course, the future of the sector. Overall, we can say that the awareness is there and that it is growing.

What is the price per hectare?

– Regarding the prices, we can say that they range from EUR 10,000 per hectare to 25/30 thousand and more. Of course, it depends on the quality of the materials and the types of the nets themselves.

Agrinet is a partner to the Italian company Tesrete. Can you compare the agricultural sectors in Serbia and Italy?

– I can compare the two realities in the following way. The Italian market is quite diverse in the sense of having a wider variety, so we are hired for farms of peaches, plums, apples, but also other fruit. In Serbia, as I’ve already noted, it’s all still very limited to apples, and for a wide distribution too, but I believe that this will change and that Serbia will follow in Italy’s footsteps and that we will be hired for farms of peaches, apricots or kiwis, for example. I believe that this is the right moment for changes in that sense.

I would also like to note regarding this comparison between the two countries that one of our principal ideas is to bring over not just our know-how, but also our work culture and corporate philosophy. We want to offer quality jobs and send the message that the workers are the heart of every company.

You are very dedicated to innovations in agriculture. What is new in that field?

– Both out Italian parent company and out Serbian company invest a lot in innovations. We are currently doing some research concerning rain protection nets, especially for sour cherry farms, as that fruit must not be exposed to rain while ripening. We are trying to help agriculturists with this and I believe that we will soon present this new licensed product in the market. For us, research and development are also very important when it comes to the machinery, because that is the only way to achieve the optimal quality. In both countries, we carry out research. In this, we are helped by Italian experts, but in Serbia, we are primarily counting on our local colleagues, though it is safe to say that the cooperation is at a very high level and that we are very satisfied. The idea behind our company is the same one on which our families are based too. If we all work together well, the results will be good as well.

What does the membership in Confindustria Serbia mean to you?

– For us, the Confindustria Serbia association has been of crucial importance. In Italy as well, our company is a member of Confindustria, and when we came over here in 2014, we were only foreigners, Italians, but thanks to the Association, we made contacts with banks, Serbian institutions and thereby managed to develop our company. The Association has provided us with absolute support in every sense and we are very grateful for that.

What are the company’s plans for the upcoming period?

– The plans for the future are to maintain our contacts with banks above all and to expand our production here, to reduce the production in Italy and largely transfer it to Serbia, because we are working very well here indeed. Our company is a family company (for three generations now) and, of course, we will remain present in Italy as well, but we want to become even more present here, because we see our future here.

The interview with Stefan Zanga is the third in the range of interviews with companies-members of Confindustria Serbia, through which the representation of the confederation of the Italian industry in Serbia promotes the operations of Italian companies.

AGRINET D.O.O. RUMA

Konfindustrija Srbija

Agrinet

Confindustria Serbia

Stefano Zanga

Tesrete

production of protective materials for agricultural sector

anti hail nets

shading nets

pest protection nets