The Seventh Supplier Day: Agribusiness successfully gathered over 80 participants from various countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Greece, and Hungary. In addition to panels and conferences, over 100 B2B meetings were held. The event, organized by the Vojvodina Development Agency (RAV) and the Novi Sad Fair, provided an excellent platform for networking companies to discuss the future of the food industry in light of current challenges and opportunities.
Dr. Milan Popov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Provincial Government, addressed the event’s opening, emphasizing the importance of strengthening connections between companies, institutions, and individuals. “Supplier Days have proven to be a very successful model for connecting domestic companies with large companies looking for suppliers. The number of concluded deals is always significant, which indicates the need to empower our small and medium-sized enterprises to enter the supply chains of large companies. Local companies are the backbone of our economy and the engine of development and innovation,” said Popov, highlighting that the Provincial Government recognizes the importance of such initiatives and will continue to support them through various programs and funds.
Darko Bulješević, Director of the Vojvodina Development Agency, stated that this was the seventh Supplier Day for the agribusiness sector since RAV started organizing them in 2017. “This year, we focused on topics and panels related to financing sources in the food sector, preparation for international fairs, regenerative agriculture, digital transformation of agriculture, supply chain development, as well as new trends and innovations in this sector,” said Bulješević. He added that participants gain insights into what is needed to enter companies’ supply chains, such as Nestle, Delhaize, Mercator, and Univerexport. “Our vision is to create a favorable business environment where our producers can develop high value-added products, increase competitiveness, and ensure the sustainability of their business,” said Bulješević.
Nikola Lovrić, General Director of the Novi Sad Fair, also addressed the opening, highlighting the growth and importance of this event. “This year’s Supplier Day is more content-rich and extensive than last year. The main theme is how the food industry can adapt to new technologies and product development to become more flexible and sustainable, which is also the backbone of the Agricultural Fair.”
Sanda Emini, Advisor for Foreign Direct Investments at RAV, emphasized that in previous years, B2B meetings connected small and medium-sized enterprises, farms, agricultural cooperatives, and large domestic, regional, and foreign buyers. “This year, we are talking about the entire supply chain. We have presented everything related to the supply chain, the knowledge and skills needed for a successful market entry and business expansion, securing funds, transitioning to regenerative agriculture – everything that awaits us in the future.”
In the B2B segment, over a hundred meetings were held, including participants from domestic and foreign companies, with significant participation from local companies. “The goal is, among other things, to connect foreign companies already operating here with our suppliers. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how significant logistical challenges are and how important it is to develop a strong and stable local economy, production, and logistics. This is a great opportunity for our producers. Large foreign companies seek compliance with certain production procedures – certifications, standards… Our companies must adapt to this, and the state supports that,” concluded Emini.
The panels and conferences included representatives from numerous institutions and companies, such as the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Serbia, the EU Delegation to the Republic of Serbia, the Development Agency of Serbia, the Development Fund of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, the International Trade Center (ITC), Geneza doo, Telek Paprika doo, Nestle Adriatic S doo, the Serbian Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture, Donau soja, Smart Watering Solutions doo, Atfield Technologies doo, Cropt doo, Terra Controlling TMD doo, ATAR Agriculture Technology and Research, the BioSense Institute, OTP Bank Serbia, and Generali Insurance, FINS, among others.
Since 2017, RAV has organized seven Supplier Days for the agribusiness sector. Over 300 companies from around 20 countries participated, and around 1600 meetings were held. Each individual event resulted in approximately 10% of contracts being signed.