Last year, Montenegro’s food imports amounted to 772 million euros, marking an increase of 30 million euros or 3.7% compared to the previous year. The beverage sector contributed 123 million euros to imports, reflecting a rise of approximately eight million euros or 6.4%. According to Monstat, there was a 1.3% hike in prices for food and beverages, suggesting that the increased import value stemmed from both heightened consumption and rising import costs.

On a daily basis, the value of imported food consumed was approximately 2.12 million euros, equating to 3.4 euros per capita each day, or 2.9 euros when accounting for foreigners with permanent residency.

Montenegro imported live animals for domestic slaughterhouses at a total cost of 47 million euros, while fresh and frozen meat accounted for 151 million euros, and meat products reached 43.7 million. Fresh vegetables were imported for 36 million euros, and dairy products for 71 million euros. Additionally, natural and carbonated bottled water imports totaled 67 million euros. It’s noteworthy that food imports alone surpassed the entirety of Montenegro’s exports, which were valued at 615 million euros by 25%.

Most of Montenegro’s food imports came from neighboring countries—Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Croatia—characterized by similar agricultural conditions and climates. However, food from all continents graced Montenegrin tables. For instance, beans arrived from Kyrgyzstan and Canada, tomatoes from Morocco, potatoes from Cyprus, cabbage from South Korea, onions from Egypt, beef from New Zealand, and various meat products sourced from Indonesia, Thailand, and even the Falkland Islands.

Millions Spent on Live Sheep and Goats

Imports of live cattle totaled 39 million euros, with the majority sourced from Croatia (20.6 million euros) and Serbia (17.3 million euros). Montenegro also imported live sheep and goats, totaling 6.3 million euros, primarily from Serbia (5.9 million euros) and Croatia (354 thousand euros).

Live pigs were imported from Denmark for 416 thousand euros, while live chickens and other poultry were brought in at a cost of one million euros, largely from Serbia (926 thousand euros).

The overall import of fresh, chilled, and frozen meats amounted to 151.8 million euros.

Fresh and chilled beef imports reached 21.2 million euros, chiefly from the Netherlands (9.7 million euros), Serbia (4.7 million euros), Italy (3 million euros), and Croatia (1.4 million euros). Additionally, beef imports also originated from Japan (70 thousand euros), Uruguay (48 thousand euros), Australia (31 thousand euros), Ireland (14 thousand euros), and Argentina (8 thousand euros).

The market for frozen beef registered imports worth 11.2 million euros, with Brazil as the largest supplier (5 million euros), followed by Kosovo (2.6 million euros), Paraguay (1.3 million euros), and minor contributions from New Zealand (401 thousand euros), the USA (234 thousand euros), and Japan (163 thousand euros).

Pork Imports Total 83 Million; Chicken Imports 31 Million

Montenegro’s fresh and frozen pork imports were valued at 83.2 million euros, with the majority sourced from Spain (28.8 million euros), the Netherlands (23 million euros), Germany (17.2 million euros), Croatia (6.4 million euros), and Austria (4.6 million euros). Pork imports from Serbia, once a leading regional producer, were a mere 365 thousand euros.

Frozen chicken and other poultry meat imports reached 31.3 million euros, primarily from Bosnia and Herzegovina (11.4 million euros), Ukraine (6.4 million euros), Brazil (4.5 million euros), and Serbia (4.9 million euros), with additional amounts from Thailand (929 thousand euros).

The import of meat products totaled 43.7 million euros, with Serbia as the leading supplier (13.2 million euros), followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (7.2 million euros), Croatia (6.9 million euros), North Macedonia (3.9 million euros), and Italy (3.2 million euros). Some meat products were also procured from China (745 thousand euros), Thailand (944 thousand euros), Indonesia (816 thousand euros), and the Falkland Islands (6.388 euros).

Milk, dairy products, and eggs combined accounted for 83.3 million euros in imports.

Milk Imports at 22 Million; Cheese at 30 Million

Regular milk imports totaled 22.3 million euros from ten countries, predominantly from Bosnia and Herzegovina (15.8 million euros) and Serbia (5.3 million euros). Other sources included Croatia (330 thousand euros), Kosovo (363 thousand euros), Belgium (138 thousand euros), Italy (58 thousand euros), Germany (53 thousand euros), and France (11 thousand euros). Sour milk and yogurt amounts to an additional 18.6 million euros, with a significant share from Bosnia and Herzegovina (10.5 million euros) and Serbia (6 million euros).

Cheese imports added up to 30.3 million euros, most notably from Germany (14.6 million euros) and Serbia (6.7 million euros). Other contributions came from Italy (2.6 million euros), Croatia (1.7 million euros), and Slovenia (1.2 million euros). Egg imports were valued at 2.4 million euros, primarily from Serbia (2.04 million euros) and with equal shares from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy (178 thousand euros each). The value of imported honey stood at 1.05 million euros, mainly from Serbia (989 thousand euros).

Vegetable Imports at 36 Million, Mostly from Neighbors

Fresh vegetable imports totaled 36 million euros, with 10.7 million sourced from Serbia, 6.3 million from Albania, 3.7 million from Turkey, 2.1 million from the Netherlands, 1.9 million from Greece, 1.7 million from France, and corresponding amounts from Italy.

Potatoes, a traditional agricultural product from northern Montenegro, were imported from 16 countries for a total of 4.2 million euros, primarily from France (1.8 million euros), followed by the Netherlands (982 thousand euros), Serbia (651 thousand euros), Germany (132 thousand euros), Albania (131 thousand euros), among others.

Tomatoes generated imports worth 8.4 million euros from 11 countries, with significant amounts from Albania (2.3 million euros), Serbia (2.2 million euros), Turkey (2.1 million euros), and more minor amounts from Spain (50 thousand euros), Belgium (nine thousand euros), and Morocco (5.3 thousand euros).

All types of onions were imported for 3.1 million euros from 21 countries, with Serbia supplying 1.3 million euros, the Netherlands 636 thousand euros, and Albania 393 thousand euros, in addition to smaller amounts from Egypt and Kenya.

Fresh cabbage was imported from 16 countries for a total of 1.5 million euros, mostly from Albania (567 thousand euros), followed by Serbia (224 thousand euros), Spain (215 thousand euros), Italy (206 thousand euros), and minor amounts from South Korea and Morocco. Cucumbers were imported for a total of two million euros, with the largest shares from Albania (1.1 million euros) and Serbia (529 thousand euros).

Dried beans were imported for 1.77 million euros, with notable amounts from Kyrgyzstan (453 thousand euros), Egypt (394 thousand euros), Serbia (149 thousand euros), Poland (124 thousand euros), Canada (119 thousand euros), and Argentina (377 euros).

In addition to locally grown vegetables, Montenegro also spent millions on importing fruits from nearby countries with compatible climates. Last year, imports of pears and apples summed up to 5.8 million euros, primarily from Serbia (2.2 million euros) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (one million euros).

Olive Oil Imported from Both Germany and China

A total of 2.2 million euros was spent on olive oil imports, mainly sourced from Italy (1.8 million euros), followed by Albania (221 thousand euros), Greece (102 thousand euros), and Croatia (97 thousand euros). Interestingly, some olive oil also came from non-traditional olive-producing countries such as Germany, China, and Slovenia.

Beer imports reached 23.8 million euros, predominantly from Serbia (17.6 million euros), followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (942 thousand euros) and France (937 thousand euros). Wine imports totaled 13.6 million euros, with Italy as the leading supplier (3.5 million euros), followed by France (2.7 million euros), Serbia (2.5 million euros), and smaller quantities from New Zealand (54 thousand euros) and Switzerland (6.2 thousand euros).

67 Million Euros for Bottled Water

Despite possessing many mountain springs, Montenegro invested 15 million euros in imported natural bottled water last year, sourced from 18 countries.

Serbia was the largest supplier, contributing 13.5 million euros, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (450 thousand euros), Italy (352 thousand euros), and Croatia (182 thousand euros). Water also arrived from as far afield as Fiji (4.8 thousand euros), Norway (three thousand euros), Ukraine (15 thousand euros), Turkey (six thousand euros), and Georgia (5.8 thousand euros).

Furthermore, carbonated bottled water—both sweetened and unsweetened—totaled 52.8 million euros in imports, predominantly from Serbia (36.3 million euros), with other contributions from Croatia (2.8 million euros), Austria (1.7 million euros), Albania (1.6 million euros), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1.2 million euros).

Imports from 26 Countries

Due to the Ulcinj saltworks halting production for 12 years, Montenegro has shifted from being a significant exporter to an importer of salt from 26 different countries.

Salt imports summed up to 1.8 million euros, primarily from Germany (409 thousand euros), Austria (324 thousand euros), Bosnia and Herzegovina (259 thousand euros), Serbia (182 thousand euros), Egypt (169 thousand euros), and Albania (148 thousand euros), along with smaller amounts from Vietnam (1.3 thousand euros) and Pakistan (41 thousand euros).

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