Beekeeping in the Serbian economy is one of the underdeveloped sector. Modern agriculture today can not

be imagined without a developed and modern beekeeping as a part of agriculture and the national economy that is

subject to economic laws that operate in the market and is inextricably linked to all the developments in the domestic

and global economics. The importance of this activity is potentiated in this paper. The paper analyzed the production of honey, the total number of hives and honey production per hive in Central Serbia, Vojvodina and Serbian Danube region. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of beekeeping as an economic sector that has significant potential for sustainable development within the Serbian Danube region. The presented data related to beekeeping in statistical databases and literature data related to beekeeping

Arsic, Slavica

Mijajlovic, Nada

Munich Personal RePEc Archive

MPRA
Munich Personal RePEc Archive
Beekeeping development opportunity for
Serbian Danube”
Nada Mijajlovic and Slavica Arsic
Institute of Agricultural Economics, Beograd, Institute of
Agricultural Economics, Beograd
20. November 2014
Online at http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/61764/
MPRA Paper No. 61764, posted 3. February 2015 09:08 UTC
BEEKEEPING DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR SERBIAN 
DANUBE 
 
NADA MIJAJLOVIĆ1, SLAVICA ARSIC2 
 
Summary: Beekeeping in the Serbian economy is one of the underdeveloped sector. Modern agriculture today can not 
be imagined without a developed and modern beekeeping as a part of agriculture and the national economy that is 
subject to economic laws that operate in the market and is inextricably linked to all the developments in the domestic 
and global economics. The importance of this activity is potentiated in this paper. The paper analyzed the production of 
honey, the total number of hives and honey production per hive in Central Serbia, Vojvodina and Serbian Danube 
region. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of beekeeping as an economic sector that has significant 
potential for sustainable development within the Serbian Danube region. The presented data related to beekeeping in 
statistical databases and literature data related to beekeeping. 
 
Key words: beekeeping, honey production, sustainable development, Danube. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
Modern agriculture is not to be imagined without a developed and modern beekeeping 
because of agriculture and the national economy subject to economic laws that operate in the 
market and is inextricably linked to all the developments in the domestic and global economics. 
With five million acres of land - (arable land, garden, orchards, vineyards, meadows, pastures, and 
large areas of forest) Serbia has extensive natural resources for development of beekeeping and 
honey production quality. 
In Serbia, beekeeping has a long tradition. Honey and other bee products are of high 
quality. In Serbia, there is a natural predisposition for the development of beekeeping in terms of 
climate (temperate continental climate), in terms of the rich flora and a variety of honey plants and 
excellent conditions for beekeeping. Beekeeping is one of the untapped agricultural potential of 
Serbia and the state level is increasing acknowledgment that there is potential for honey production 
and export potential of bee products. It is estimated by experts to be fond of hives which now has 
about 320 thousand could be the 1. 200.000 given the potential that Serbia has. Honey is a highly 
valuable food in terms of nutritional and in terms of medicinal ingredients. Composition and 
properties of honey depend on the properties of the nectar honey plants from which the bees collect 
it.(http://www.makroekonomija.org/poljoprivreda/proizvodnja-i-izvoz-meda-iz-srbije-vise-kosnica-
manje-meda/) 
Honeybee is an indispensable factor in crop production. Collecting nectar and pollen from 
flowers as food, they pollinate hundreds of different species of plants. The value created by the 
participation of honeybees in pollination is not assessable and unavoidable cropping measures that 
increase crop production and improves the quality of fruits and seeds (the impact of bees on the 
yield and quality of the fruit ranges up to 70 percent). Potential production of honey in Serbia 
looking natural conditions: climate, plant varieties, environmental status, etc. would be around 600-
700 thousand hives with a production of about 20 kg of honey per hive or an average of about 
14.000 tons. Export potential is around 12-14.000 tones, or almost the entire amount produced. The 
potential of foreign exchange inflow is around 30-40 million. That's still less than Hungary. 
(www.pcela.rs/pcelarstvo) 
 
                                                          
1
M.A., Nada Mijajlović,  researcher associate, Institute of Agricultural Economics,  Volgina 15, 11060, Beograd, e-
mail: nada_m@iep.bg.ac.rs 
2M.A., Slavica Arsić, researcher associate, Institute of Agricultural Economics, Volgina 15,11060, Beograd, e-mail: 
slavica_a@iep.bg.ac.rs 
 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
 
In the results were statistically processed data for the period since 2000th the 2010th of the 
number of hives and honey production in the Republic of Serbia, (Central Serbia and Vojvodina). 
The research in addition to sources of statistical data on beekeeping production used the data of the 
Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management, World Bank data, the Food and 
Agriculture Organization ( FAO), as well as numerous consulted the literature. 
The collected data are analyzed by standard mathematical and statistical methods, which 
can serve as a solid basis for predicting the performance of certain production scale and production 
that can be expected in the future. 
 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 
 
The world annual production of 1.3 million tons of honey. 
(http://www.americanhoneyproducers.org) 
Most honey is produced in Asia (385.000 t), while in the EU the annual honey production 
is 133.000 t. The largest honey producers are countries in Southern Europe, where beekeepers are 
professionally engaged in the production of honey, such as France, with 31.000 t, 30.000 t of Spain 
and Greece with 15.000 tons per year. In Northern Europe, honey production is lower because it is 
mainly engaged in the production of honey beekeepers - amateurs. Honey they produce is for their 
own use and for sale at the local level. (Table 1) 
 
           Table 1.Honey production in some European countries in 2009th 
No. The name of the state Weight of honey in 1.000 t 
1 Austria 5.5 
2 Belgium and Luxembourg  2 
3 Denmark  3 
4 Finland  1 
5 France  31 
6 Germany  15 
7 Greece  15 
8 Ireland  0,1 
9  Italy   11 
10 The Netherlands 0,8 
11 Portugal  11 
12  Spain  30,4 
13  Sweden  3,3 
14 UK  4 
15 Serbian 5 5,5 
16 Total                    135,6 
   Source: FAO 
 
The most important export market is the European Union, with in 2010. were exported 3/4 
of the total exports (Germany with 45 % share, followed by Italy and Austria) and in addition to 
exports and to CEFTA countries (Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina).This paper 
will provide a theoretical and practical contribution to responsible for the production of honey, have 
guidelines for appropriate measures to improve honey production in Serbia. 
 
In Table 2 are listed statistics on changes in scale production of honey and hives all over 
Serbia, and also in Central Serbia and Vojvodina in particular.Calculation of data in Serbia in 2000 
was 167,000 hives and 2663 tons of honey and honey production per hive for the year 2000 was 16 
kg. Participation Central Serbia in the total number of hives in Serbia in 2000 was 92.8% and 
Vojvodina 7.2% share in the production of honey in Central Serbia is 92.0% and 8.0% of 
Vojvodina.  
 
 Table 2.  The beekeeping in Serbia from 2000th to 2010 th 
 
 The Republic of Serbia Central Serbia  Vojvodina 
  
BEEHIVE
S, 
thousands 
of pieces 
Producti
on of 
honey 
Kilogram
s, 
per 
beehive 
BEEHIVE
S, 
thousands 
of pieces 
Producti
on of 
honey 
 
Kilogram
s 
Perbeehi
ve 
BEEHIVE
S, 
thousands 
of pieces 
Producti
on of 
honey 
Kilogram
s, 
per 
beehive 
200
0. 
167 2663 15 155 2447 15 17 216 15 
200
1. 
179 2317 14 162 2178 15 17 139 9 
200
2. 
164 2550 13 149 2340 13 15 210 10 
200
3. 
201 3242 12 180 2662 12 21 581 13 
200
4. 
266 3579 13 222 3041 13 44 538 13 
200
5. 
270 3665 13 228 3196 13 42 468 13 
200
6. 
304 4048 13 258 3633 14 46 416 9 
200
7. 
267 3538 13 236 3155 13 31 383 12 
200
8. 
298 2561 9 232 1824 8 66 738 11 
200
9. 
302 4577 15 256 4142 16 45 434 10 
201
0. 
320 4479 14 271 3951 15 49 527 11 
 
Source: Statistical yearbook, 2000-2010., Statistical office of the Republic of Serbia 
 
For the year 2001 the total number of hives has increased compared to the previous year 
2000 to 7.2% in the Republic of Serbia, but the total honey production dropped by 13% Central 
Serbia share in the total production of honey in Serbia is 94.0% and Vojvodina only 6.0%.  
Honey production in 2002 was 10% higher but the number of hives declined in Serbia by 
8.4%. Production of honey in Central Serbia increased by 7.4% in Vojvodina to 51.0%, the 
proportion of Central Serbia in the total production of honey in Serbia is 91.7% and 8.2% of 
Vojvodina.  
In the Republic of Serbia since 2003, increasing the number of hives to 201 thousand, 
which is 22.5% more than in the previous year, and with that, honey production, which amounted to 
3,242 tons, which is 27.1% more than the 16kg per hive. Of the total production of honey in Serbia 
largest honey production in 2003 was in Central Serbia, 82.1% and 17.9% in Vojvodina. In the 
following year 2004 in Serbia there are increasing number of hives by 32.3% and the production of 
honey by 10.4% and per hive 13,5kg, compared to 2003. In 2005, following an increase in the 
number of hives accounted for only 1.5% and the production of honey by 2.4% compared to the 
previous year. Compared to 2005, 2006 to increase the number of hives is the largest 304 thousand, 
its 12.6% and the production of honey, which has reached a maximum production of 4,048 tons in 
the Republic of Serbia, or 10.4% more, which is 13.3 kg per hive. The share of Central Serbia in 
total honey production in 2006 was 89.7% and 10.3% of Vojvodina.  
In 2007 there is a decline in the number of hives by 12.2% and the production of honey by 
12.6% compared to the previous year due to severe drought because the bees did not have a good 
flow and in the winter they entered weakened, a spring pasture due to poor climatic conditions were 
not sufficiently abundant to allow the recovery of the hives. Therefore, it is killed more than 
110.000 bee society.  
Data for 2008 show that the total number of hives in the Republic of Serbia in relation to 
the previous year increased by 11.6%, but honey production declined by 27.6% (due to the above 
reasons), which is the production per hive with 13 dropped to 9 kg. According to the calculation of 
the total production of honey Central Serbia accounted for 71.2%, which is 42.2% less honey 
production compared to 2007, while the share of Vojvodina is 28.8%, which means that the honey 
production in Vojvodina twice as high compared to the previous year, with 383 tons in 2007, 
increased to 738 tons in 2008, which is 92.7% more.  
Increasing the number of hives in 2009 by the Republic of Serbia is only 1.3% compared 
to the previous year, but honey production is 78.7% higher. The largest increase was in Central 
Serbia, 4,142 tons of honey, which is 2,318 tons, or 127.0% compared to the previous year, and the 
share in the total production of honey in Serbia for Central Serbia is 90.5% and only 9 t of 
Vojvodina, 5%.  
According to statistical data related to the year 2010, the number of hives in the Republic 
of Serbia, although it increased by 6% but honey production dropped by 2.2%. The largest increase 
in honey was in Vojvodina and to 21.4%, while 4.6% lower production in Central Serbia, compared 
to the previous year. The share of Central Serbia in the total production of honey in Serbia is 88.2% 
and 11.8% of Vojvodina. 
 
CONCLUSIONS 
 
Based on the presented results it can be concluded that beekeeping in Serbia is relatively 
well developed, but there is potential (especially in the Danube riparian areas) that this activity 
continues to develop and become more powerful export sector in Serbia. In recent years, honey 
yields have increased substantially. The application of modern technology and intensive training of 
beekeepers may be in a stationary beekeeping yields doubled, and in migration and quadruple. 
Honey is the most attractive product, many countries export it’s achieve enviable foreign currency 
income. In addition beekeeping to export to foreign markets made a positive export balance, 
because honey from our area's quality and most sought after in the world. Although the last few 
years, the Ministry of Agriculture has taken measures to improve conditions in beekeeping through 
subsidies and allowances, and to the production of queen bees and swarms purchase beekeeping 
equipment, it is necessary to pay more attention to beekeeping. 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 
The paper is prepared as a result obtained within the scientific project “Sustainable 
agriculture and rural development in the function of accomplishing strategic objectives of the 
Republic of Serbia in the Danube region (III no. 46006), financed by the Ministry of Education, 
Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia in the period 2011-2014. 
 
REFERENCES 
 
1. Strategy Beekeeping Association of Serbia for the development of beekeeping Serbia, 2010th 
2. Statistical yearbook, 2000-2010., Statistical office of the Republic of Serbia 
3. http://www.fao.org/ 
4. http://www.spos.info 
5. www.pcela.rs/pcelarstvo 
6. http://www.americanhoneyproducers.org 
7. http://www.makroekonomija.org/ 
8. http://www.makroekonomija.org/poljoprivreda/proizvodnja-i-izvoz-meda-iz-srbije-vise-kosnica-manje-meda/   
 
 
 
 
 


Beekeeping development opportunity for Serbian Danube”

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Beekeeping development opportunity for Serbian Danube”

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