Two events have opened at the Belgrade Fair: the 49th International Building Trade Fair and the jubilee 30th International Fair of Horticulture – BeoPlant Fair, which will be held simultaneously from 23 to 26 April 2025.
Dragan Glamočić, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, wished all participants a successful fair and fruitful business agreements, and, in the absence of his colleague, Minister of Construction Aleksandra Sofronijević, officially declared the Building Trade Fair and Fair of Horticulture open.
Minister Glamočić emphasized that horticulture is an important strategic segment of Serbia’s agriculture, with great potential.
– In 2024, flower and ornamental plant production in Serbia covered around one thousand hectares of arable land, with about 680 hectares of ornamental plants cultivated outdoors and slightly more than 300 hectares cultivated indoors, where a positive trend has been recorded, indicating that the Republic of Serbia is moving towards more intensive horticultural production.
The export of flowers and ornamental plants last year amounted to only 6.5 million euros, while imports unfortunately exceeded 36 million euros, meaning that we have a deficit of 30 million euros. This represents an open opportunity for us to focus on making horticulture, alongside other branches of agriculture, a significant resource as well, said Glamočić.
The focus of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, now led by Glamočić, will be on all sectors that can generate higher revenues.
He pointed out that the export of medicinal herbs has been increasing each year, and that last year, Serbia exported medicinal herbs worth over 24 million euros. Unfortunately, most of the exports still consist of raw materials, with a smaller portion being final products. For this reason, the Ministry has introduced incentives covering 50 percent of the value of investments in the construction of drying facilities, distilleries, extraction plants, packaging equipment, and similar infrastructure.
Minister Glamočić concluded that the Republic of Serbia possesses biodiversity, knowledge, and tradition, and that now is the time for Serbia to become a country that generates profit and he believes that this goal will be achieved in the coming period. Serbia should not be exporting raw materials for others to process, but should instead be producing and exporting finished products.
The Fair of Horticulture will serve as an opportunity for networking and for creating a new vision for Serbian horticulture. In addition to three accompanying thematic exhibitions — the 28th Exhibition of Medicinal Herbs and Honey Remedies – Gifts of Nature, the 13th Exhibition of Garden and Park Machinery and Equipment – Motoplant Expo, and the 9th Organic Product Exhibition– Organic Fest — the fair is once again enriched this year by additional events covering medicinal herbs, organic production, and modern gardening machinery.
This year, the Fair of Horticulture is being held simultaneously with the 49th International Building Trade Fair (in Halls 1, 1A, 2, 3, 3A, 4, and in the open-air exhibition space), thus expanding the importance and opportunities for both visitors and exhibitors at these events.
This prestigious event, which defines the entire construction industry in the region, will once again fill six halls and the open-air space of the Belgrade Fair with an atmosphere of innovation. This prominent event, a key platform for meetings between experts, companies, and construction industry enthusiasts, will showcase the latest trends, technologies, and projects.
A single ticket and a single media accreditation apply for both events.