The importance of potato production in the Republic of Serbia in order to emphasizing the rural development

Abstract

The rural areas in Republic of Serbia are areas whose main physical and geographical characteristics are using of land for the agricultural production and they amount 85% od total area. Agricltural production is the dominant activity. Major number of households disposes with a low cultivated land, acheves a low rate of productivity and profit. Potato is one of the main cultivated crops, both in areas where it is grown, as well as on importance for human consumption and processing industry. Because of the pronounced tendency of decline in average yields, there was an overall drop in production volume. which meets domestic consumption. Annual exports are 1%, mainly in countries in the region. After eradication of potato ring rot, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus, the European Commission has approved the export of potatoes to the EU market, which can be a significant incentive for greater investment in potato production. In this paper, the importance of the potato for rural development and emphasizing the production technology is presented with special accent on plant protection as an important factor in the production of this crop.