Opening this event, Mr. Andjelko Trpkovic, Belgrade Fair General Manager, said the Ethnic Food and Drinks was the third event starting in one day at Belgrade Fair, which shows the activities and getting down to work in the crisis era:

- It has been already for days the central topic in the country and worldwide, but everyone should be clear that one does not get out of crisis waiting to be awaken one morning and realizing the crisis is gone. Work is the only way to overcome the crisis and Belgrade Fair applies just this recipe. The proofs are all these events going on currently. The Ethnic Food and Drinks is not a profitable event, this is a project by which we want to create a new generation of exhibitors and put forward some authentic local food products.

The Marketing and Sales Director of the USAID Agribusiness Project for Serbia, Mr. Remer Lane, said it was very important to encourage the participants of such an event, since the exhibited products were both high quality ones and very important for keeping the national identity of the country.

On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Engineering and Water Management, Mr. Branislav Raketic spoke at the festive opening, saying one of the basic objectives of this event was competitiveness encouraging, both in the local and international market. Serbia was a small country and could hardly compete with large and well developed ones, but is has also its trumps – it will compete with authentic products having the protected geographic origin, made by a specific way of processing and high quality, the characteristics taking the brand sign to many products. The Ethnic Food and Drinks was just the right opportunity just for a promotion of such products.