Soybean acreages needed to satisfy consumption of basic livestock products in Serbia

Abstract

Despite the fact that Serbia is a significant producer and exporter of soybean, the import of soybean and soy meal is still higher than the export. Taking into consideration the advantages of domestic production, especially if knowing that in Serbia only non-genetically modified soybean cultivation is allowed, one can say that there is a need for soybean acreages (and production) increase. This applies both to the present (low) level of livestock products consumption and even more if consumption per capita achieves the consumption level reached during 1990s or even that recorded in the EU-27. The aim of this paper is to point out the needed soybean acreages in Serbia, starting from the quantity of soy meal necessary for the production of the most important livestock products (milk, meat and eggs), at different levels of their consumption. The determined area has been compared with the current one and evaluated in terms of bio-technological feasibility.