Novi Sad, 21st May - Bálint Juhász, President of the AP Vojvodina Assembly, together with the General Manager of the Novi Sad Fair Slobodan Cvetković, visited today the 92nd International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, and as part of today’s Fair programme, opened the Conference “Intelligent Solutions for Agricultural Entrepreneurs”, organised by the Central European Economic Development Network (CED).
President Juhász and Director Cvetković visited the stands of the Provincial Government and the Provincial Secretariat for Agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture, the City Administration for the Economy of the City of Novi Sad, the Central European Economic Development Network (CED), company KITE Ltd. (representative of John Deer machinery for Serbia), and others.
Addressing the media, President Juhász highlighted that the International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad was the most significant event of the agricultural and food industry in the entire region and emphasized that it was not just an exhibition space, but a meeting place of tradition, innovation, knowledge and technology, science and practice.
“This is not only a place where machines and products are presented, but a place where ideas are born, partnerships made and the future of our agriculture written. Some claim that fair manifestations are outdated, however this event proves it wrong through concrete examples, and that is why I think it is very important that this tradition continues even after 92 years”, said Mr. Juhász. The President thanked this year’s partner country, Italy, for the efforts made and presentation of its practices in the field of joining the IT industry, artificial intelligence and agriculture.
Director of the Novi Sad Fair, Slobodan Cvetković, said that it was a long tradition for the presidents of the provincial parliament to visit the Agricultural Fair and thanked President Juhász for keeping that tradition. He mentioned that he had previously discussed with President Juhász the course of action to be taken as regards the agricultural policy. Mr. Cvetković also pointed out that Hungary, in addition to being a partner country of the Agricultural Fair, was traditionally present with a large number of companies and supported the further development of agriculture in Vojvodina.
Deputy Provincial Secretary Zoltan Tot stated that the event was not only a tradition but also a symbol of innovation and cooperation that had been bringing together the most important actors from the agricultural sector year after year, and today as well, when we talked about innovations, challenges and joint performances in the spirit of partnership.
After visiting the Agricultural Fair, President Juhász opened the Conference “Intelligent Solutions for Agricultural Entrepreneurs”, organised by the Central European Economic Development Network (CED), which for years had been organising conferences during the Agricultural Fair on all topical issues and innovations in the field of economy and agriculture.
“The conference organised by the CED Agency is becoming a synonym and a safe place for Hungarian-Serbian economic cooperation, which is a logical result of the good relations between Serbia and Hungary, which are currently at a historic peak. I believe that it is very important for both countries to translate these relations into the languagesof economy and business for mutual benefit,” said Mr. Juhász, opening the Conference.
He noted the time when Hungary was not even in the top ten foreign trade partners of Serbia, and then after entering the top ten, it is currently the third Vojvodina’s foreign trade partner, and Serbia’s fourth. Mr. Juhász highlighted that the foreign trade exchange between Serbia and Hungary in the first three months of this year amounted to one billion euros, which was significant increase compared to last year and an indicator that we were on the right track.
“The topic of the conference, the utilisation of new technologies and artificial intelligence in agriculture, is extremely important. Considering that Vojvodina is an agricultural region, Novi Sad is the IT centre of Serbia, and that we have the BioSense Institute, which is a pioneer of such ventures, and the first digital farm in Bačka Topola, this tells us that we too can offer examples of good practice to our partners from Hungary,” said Mr. Juhász.
The conference was also attended by representatives of the Novi Sad Fair, the Hungarian Embassy and Consulate in Subotica, the Provincial Secretariat for Agriculture, the Central European Economic Development Network (CED), company representatives and others.