Forbes Serbia: Biggest Landowner in Serbia Is Matijevic Meat Industry 

Land (BETAPHOTO/NENAD PETROVIC/DR)

The largest landowners in Serbia are Matijevic Meat Industry, Al Dahra from the United Arab Emirates, Delta Holding, Almex, Login EKO, Coric Agrar, company Mile Blagojevic, Elit Agrar, Al Rawafed, and company Nicko, Forbes Serbia reported on Feb. 22.  

Matijevic Meat Industry, also operating Matijevic Agrar, cultivates 36,000 hectares of land in Vojvodina and an additional 2,000 hectares in Croatia, with 33,000 hectares owned by the corporation, which also produces ingredients for farm animal feed. Under its roof, the holding company has 106 business entities operating in agriculture, trade and hospitality industry. One of the corporation’s latest major transactions include acquisition of a majority stake in Vrbas-based Mitron Group, bringing to the holding another ten business, including oil maker Banat and farm Sava Kovacevic, with the latter adding around 4,000 hectares to Matijevic Meat Industry. 

For five years Al Dahra has been ranked the second biggest landowner in Serbia, having bought in October 2018 a stake in agribusiness company PKB Corporation for EUR 121 million, and taking over 17,000 hectares. According to then media reports, the company paid EUR 80 million for the land, or EUR 4,700 per hectare. 

The purchase agreement with PKB Corporation, allowed Al Dahra to over the first three years sell, without needing approval of the state, 10 percent of land a year, or 1,700 hectares each year during this period. It is possible that Al Dahra has actually sold some of the hectares in its possession, as available data shows that it currently owns 14,429 hectares.