In 2025, construction will begin in Serbia on the largest food industry enterprise in decades—a corn starch processing plant. The project is being implemented by Amelo, part of the Moldovan agro-industrial group Trans-Oil.
Location and scope of the project
The plant will be built in the city of Sremska Mitrovica on the site of the former Checherana sugar factory. The total investment will amount to €35 million. The plant will be able to process up to 250,000 tons of corn per year, producing native and modified starch, as well as corn syrup for the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.
Construction will begin in May 2025 and will last 18–20 months. The project partner is the Chinese company Myande Group, which specializes in equipment for starch production.
Once operational, the plant will create around 150 new jobs. Sremska Mitrovica Mayor Branislav Nedimovic noted that this is one of the largest investments in Serbia’s food industry in the last 40–50 years.
The new plant will increase domestic corn processing, reduce raw material exports, and increase the added value of products. This will strengthen Serbia’s position in the European market for starch and related products.
Following the signing of a cooperation agreement between Ukraine and the US in the field of mineral resources, the world community’s attention has been focused on Ukraine’s potential for rare earth element (REE) extraction. These elements are critical for modern technologies, including the production of electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense equipment. However, experts caution against excessive optimism about the rapid realization of this potential.
Volodymyr Khaustov, scientific secretary of the State Institution “Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,” honored economist of Ukraine, and candidate of technical sciences, shared his vision of the prospects for REE mining in Ukraine.
“Ukraine does indeed have certain reserves of rare earth elements, but most of them were explored during the Soviet era, and this data needs to be updated. In addition, a significant portion of potential deposits are located in areas currently under Russian control or near the combat zone,” Khaustov noted.
The expert also highlighted the technological and infrastructural challenges associated with the extraction and processing of REEs.
“Even if we can gain access to these deposits, the question of their economic viability arises. REE extraction is a complex and expensive process that requires modern technology and significant investment. At present, Ukraine does not have the necessary infrastructure for the full cycle of extraction and processing of these elements,” he explained.
It should be noted that, according to research, only one of the six known REE deposits in Ukraine — Novopoltavskoye in the Zaporizhzhia region — has confirmed reserves and is open for licensing. However, even this deposit requires an investment of about $300 million for full development.
In addition, the global REE processing market is currently dominated by China, which controls about 90% of the world’s capacity for the purification and processing of these elements. This creates additional challenges for countries seeking to develop their own REE production.
“For Ukraine to become competitive in the global REE market, it is necessary not only to develop deposits, but also to create a complete value chain — from extraction to processing and manufacturing of end products. This requires strategic planning, significant investment, and time,” Khaustov emphasized.
In conclusion, although Ukraine has potential in the field of rare earth element extraction, realizing this potential requires a comprehensive approach, significant resources, and time. Experts call for cautious optimism and strategic planning to achieve success in this industry.
For more details on the prospects for rare earth extraction in Ukraine, watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHeBfpywpQc&t
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ECONOMY, EXPERT, EXPERTS CLUB, INDUSTRY, rare earth elements, rare earths, Volodymyr Khaustov
On May 8, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified a strategic agreement with the United States of America on the joint use of mineral resources, which was an important step in strengthening the economic partnership between the two countries. The agreement provides for the creation of a Joint Reconstruction Investment Fund, which will give the US priority access to Ukrainian minerals, including lithium, titanium, graphite, and uranium. At the same time, Ukraine expects increased military support and economic stability.
Volodymyr Khaustov, scientific secretary of the State Institution “Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,” honored economist of Ukraine, and candidate of technical sciences, shared his vision for the prospects of this agreement in a video from the Experts Club expert and analytical center.
“Ukraine has significant potential in the field of strategic mineral extraction. However, it should be understood that realizing this potential requires significant investment and time. Many deposits, particularly lithium deposits, are located in regions where infrastructure needs to be modernized and geological data is based on outdated Soviet research,” Khaustov said.
The expert also highlighted the technological challenges associated with the extraction and processing of Ukrainian minerals.
“Most lithium deposits in Ukraine contain ores that are difficult to enrich using existing technologies. This requires the development of new processing methods, which in turn requires time and financial resources,” he explained.
The agreement also stipulates that profits from joint projects will be reinvested in Ukraine during the first ten years, which should contribute to the country’s economic recovery. However, Khaustov warns against excessive optimism about quick results.
“The implementation of such large-scale projects is not a matter of one year. All risks and challenges, including geopolitical and economic ones, that may affect the implementation of the agreement must be taken into account,” he stressed.
Overall, the expert believes that the signing of the agreement with the US is an important step for Ukraine, opening up new opportunities for the development of the mining industry and strengthening the economy. However, the successful implementation of the agreements requires a comprehensive approach, strategic planning, and close cooperation between all interested parties.
“This is a chance for Ukraine to become an important player in the global market for strategic minerals. But this requires not only desire, but also real action, investment, and technological solutions,” Volodymyr Khaustov concluded.
Thus, the agreement between Ukraine and the US opens a new page in the economic partnership between the two countries, but its successful implementation depends on many factors that require careful analysis and balanced decisions.
You can learn more about Ukraine’s mineral resources in the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFI5sUBX3gc&t
You can subscribe to the Experts Club channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
Experts Club has published a study on the dynamics of industrial production in Croatia and its trends in recent years. In the beginning of 2025, industrial production in Croatia shows moderate growth, despite fluctuations in previous months. According to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, industrial production increased by 5.4% in February 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year. This is a slowdown compared to January 2025, when growth was 7.6%.
The following industries recorded the highest growth in February 2025.
At the same time, consumer goods production declined:
Monthly trends
Compared to January 2025, industrial production fell 3.9% in February. This is the first decline in the last three months, indicating instability in the industrial sector.
Historical dynamics of industrial production (2000-2024)
Below are the dynamics of industrial production in Croatia for the period from 2000 to 2024:
These data reflect fluctuations in Croatia’s industrial production over the last 25 years, with periods of both growth and decline.
Experts Club Information and Analytical Center has analyzed the dynamics of industrial production in Serbia and its growth trends in Serbia in recent years. At the beginning of 2025, industrial production in Serbia shows a slowdown in growth compared to the previous year. According to Trading Economics, in January 2025, industrial production increased by 0.4% in annualized terms, but in February it recorded a decrease of 1.8% compared to the same period in 2024.
In 2024, industrial production in Serbia showed positive dynamics. In December 2024, growth amounted to 2.7% in annual terms, which was the result of a 9.9% increase in production in the extractive industry and a 5.6% increase in manufacturing.
In order to understand the current trends, let us look at the changes in industrial production in Serbia in recent years, based on the analysis of data collected by the Experts Club for the period from 2000 to 2024.
2000: growth by 10.2%
2001: growth by 1.5%
2002: growth by 1.7%
2003: 3.5% growth
2004: 7.1% growth
2005: 0.8% growth
2006: 4.7% growth
2007: 4.9% growth
2008: increase of 1.1%
2009: decrease of 12.1%
2010: increase of 2.5%
2011: increase of 2.1%
2012: decrease of 1.5%
2013: increase of 5.5%
2014: decrease of 6.5%
2015: increase of 8.3%
2016: growth of 4.7%
2017: increase of 3.9%
2018: growth of 1.3%
2019: increase of 0.3%
2020: decrease of 1.0%
2021: increase of 6.0%
2022: increase of 1.9%
2023: increase of 5.8%
2024: 3.1% growth
The data reflect fluctuations in Serbia’s industrial production over the last 25 years, with periods of both growth and decline. For the last 4 years, industrial production in Serbia has been growing steadily.
Industrial production in Ukraine in June this year decreased by 0.3% against June last year and by 6.2% against May this year, the State Statistics Service (Gosstat) said in a statement.
According to its data, as a result, the growth of industrial production at the end of the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year slowed to 8.1% from 9.9% at the end of five months.
It is pointed out that the decline in production in June was due to a drop in the supply of electricity, gas, steam and conditioned air, down 11.2%, while the processing industry recorded an increase of 0.6% and mining and quarrying 1.4%.
It is specified that the increase in production in June 2024 to June 2023 was recorded in metallurgy – by 34%, in mining and quarrying – by 1.4% due to growth in the extraction of metal ores – by 30.1%, in the production of coke and petroleum refining products – by 3.2%.
In general, for the first half of 2024 industrial production in Ukraine increased in the processing industry – by 11%, in mining and quarrying – by 9.3%, in the supply of electricity, gas, steam and conditioned air – by 1.5%.
The Stat Department points out that the volume of industrial products sold in January-June this year reached 1707.9 billion UAH, of which outside the country – 351.7 billion UAH.
The State Statistics Committee reminded that in May this year there was a growth of 3.6% compared to May last year, in April – by 11.6%%, in March – by 5%.
According to revised data of the State Statistics Committee, industrial production in Ukraine in 2023 increased by 6.8%, while in 2022 the decline amounted to 36.7%.
