According to preliminary results from the agriculture census in Montenegro, there are a total of 26,711 agricultural holdings, reflecting a 31 percent decrease since 2010.

The highest number of agricultural holdings can be found in Bijelo Polje (3,933) and Nikšić (3,187), while Tivat (104) and Budva (156) have the least.

MONSTAT reported that agricultural holdings utilized 248,234 hectares of agricultural land (including katuns and communes), which is a 13 percent increase compared to 2010.

Regarding livestock, there has been a change in the total count of cattle, sheep, and goats since 2010, while the numbers of pigs and poultry have risen.

The overall number of cattle within agricultural holdings is 68,600 (14.4 percent less), along with goats totaling 28,184 (18 percent less), whereas the count of pigs reached 52,272 (21.7 percent more), and poultry approximates 1.36 million, marking a 125.5 percent increase.

Among the total family agricultural holders (26,626), males dominate with 23,183, while females account for 3,443.

The agriculture census was conducted from October 1 to December 1 of last year, in accordance with the Law on Agriculture and valid European Union and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) standards.

“The preliminary results of the Agriculture Census provide essential data on the number of farms, family farm holders, utilized agricultural land, fodder resources, and machinery (tractors). These figures may be revised before the final results are published,” stated MONSTAT.

Additionally, they noted that due to changes in the International and National Legislative Framework, data comparability has been assessed against specific criteria in the Agriculture Census as well as EU standards.