Agriculture and the economic significance of livestock production for the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to point out the state and possibilities of improving Serbian livestock production, based on the analysis of important available data. Namely, it is known that animal husbandry is a strategic branch of the economy and that the degree of its development significantly affects the intensity of agricultural development, and thus the overall economy of a country. The Republic of Serbia has extremely favourable natural conditions for breeding all species of domestic animals and a long tradition in livestock breeding. Also, our country has excellent crop production, ie. has an adequate fodder base for feeding far more animals than it now has. Also, it is known that in the Republic of Serbia there has been a trend of reducing livestock for years and that the warnings of experts about the need to stop this trend are becoming more dramatic. Based on the above, this paper presents the results of the analysis of the number by calculating average values for five-year periods, starting in 2000. In addition, the average production of important animal products such as meat, milk, eggs and wool by analyzed periods was calculated. Furthermore, when it comes to the number of livestock and their production, indexes were calculated and based on them, trends in the past two decades were analyzed. Based on the established trends in the above indicators, conclusions were drawn on the state and possibilities of further directions in the development of Serbian livestock production.