Montenegro’s formal agricultural market expanded in the second quarter of 2026, but the composition of that growth points to a potentially important structural shift: companies are selling considerably more from their own production while purchases from individual agricultural producers are declining.
The value of purchases and sales of agricultural, forestry and fishery products handled by reporting companies and agricultural cooperatives reached €14.1 million in Q2, an increase of 10.1% year on year. Of that total, €6.4 million, or 45.1%, came from companies’ own production, while €7.7 million, or 54.9%, represented purchases from individual producers.
The headline increase masks a sharp divergence.
Sales originating from companies’ own production increased 31.2%, while the value of agricultural products purchased from individual producers declined 2.7%.
That is more economically interesting than the overall 10.1% increase.
The figures suggest that organised agribusinesses are capturing a larger share of the value passing through the formal commercial system. Instead of relying primarily on collecting products from independent farms, companies appear to be increasing production controlled directly within their own operations.
The change should be treated cautiously. MONSTAT’s survey covers business entities and agricultural cooperatives with two or more employees and therefore does not represent every transaction taking place across Montenegro’s agricultural economy. It is a measure of the formal purchase-and-sale channel rather than a complete census of farm production.
Even with that qualification, the internal structure is revealing.
Hen eggs accounted for 28.1% of the total value recorded in Q2, making them the largest category. Raw cow’s milk represented 22%, followed by fresh vegetables at 14.8%, livestock at 11.3%, fruit at 7.6% and fresh fish at 5.3%. Industrial crops accounted for only 0.7% and processed fruit and grapes for 0.5%.
More than half of the measured commercial value is therefore concentrated in eggs and milk, two categories suited to organised and continuous production, collection and distribution.
Separate dairy data reinforce the picture of stronger activity in part of the formal agricultural supply chain. Montenegrin dairies purchased about 8.15 million kg of cow’s milk in Q2, an increase of 5.8% from a year earlier. Livestock indicators were weaker, however: the number of cattle slaughtered fell 6.9% to 6,871, while net slaughter weight declined 11%.
Those movements suggest that Montenegro does not have a single agricultural cycle. Different subsectors are moving in different directions.
The strongest commercial growth appears to be occurring where production can be organised, standardised and linked to processors or retailers. That favours larger farms, vertically integrated businesses and agricultural companies able to invest in equipment, biosecurity, cold chains, storage and consistent supply.
Individual producers face a different challenge.
A 2.7% decline in purchases from private farmers does not prove that small farming is contracting overall. Producers may sell through other channels, including direct sales, tourism, markets or informal networks. But if the trend persists in future quarters, it could indicate that the formal supply chain is becoming more concentrated around larger commercial operators.
That would have significant policy implications.
Montenegro has traditionally viewed agriculture partly through rural-development and social-policy objectives: supporting small holdings, preserving villages and reducing rural depopulation. Commercial food markets operate according to a different logic. Hotels, retailers and processors increasingly require reliable volumes, standardised quality, traceability and continuous delivery.
Small producers can participate, but only if aggregation, cooperatives or purchasing systems allow them to achieve scale.
The Q2 numbers therefore raise a strategic question: is Montenegro developing stronger domestic agribusiness companies while leaving individual farmers increasingly outside the main commercial growth channel?
If so, policy aimed simply at increasing farm subsidies may not be enough. The missing infrastructure may include cooperatives, collection centres, cold storage, processing facilities, certification and long-term purchasing agreements capable of connecting fragmented production to professional buyers.
The alternative is a two-speed agricultural sector — increasingly efficient corporate production alongside a large group of small producers with limited access to organised markets.
For Montenegro, where strengthening domestic food production has implications for rural development, tourism supply chains and the external trade balance, the distinction matters.
The 10.1% Q2 increase is therefore encouraging, but the 31.2% rise in companies’ own production against a 2.7% fall in purchases from individual farmers is the more important number. It suggests that Montenegro’s agricultural market may be growing by becoming more corporate.
