Serbia could face a shortage of wheat in 2008 due to the drought that devastated the Balkans this year, officials said on Thursday. Serbian Chamber of Commerce vice-president Stojan Jevtic said Serbia sowed 470,000 hectares of wheat this year and expected to reap 1.1 million tonnes. But the country needed 1.3 million tonnes of wheat to feed the population, he said.
"There is a concern that in 2008, output will fall 40 percent forcing Serbia to import wheat," Beta news agency quoted Jevtic as saying. Serbia is the biggest grain producer among the ex-Yugoslav states, but this year's drought forced it to restrict exports.
The government imposed a three-month ban on exports of wheat, grains, soybean and sunflower in August, then extended it for another 120 days in October in a bid to cap rising food prices and avoid the risk of fuelling inflation.
Despite a decline in agricultural output of 8.11 percent, Serbia expects record grain export revenues of $1.7 billion this year, the Chamber of Commerce said, due to soaring world grain prices. The impact of the drought could be eased in 2008 with better fertilisation and February sowing, Jevtic said.
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