At Hazera, our dedicated team works passionately to provide our growers with the best products. While our products often take center stage, it is the Hazera team that truly drives our success. Today, we shine the spotlight on Milan Zivkovic from Leskovac, Serbia.
Milan Zivkovic, Product Development Manager, lives in Serbia with his wife and two children. He graduated as an agronomist in 2009 and has been working in the vegetable seed industry since then, taking on roles in sales, product development, and area management. Milan has been a valued member of the Hazera team for almost three years.
What is a common myth about your field of expertise?
“I think, especially in the Balkans, Southeast Europe, a common myth is that working in agriculture is very hard, involving heavy physical work or tough conditions. That’s why youngsters don’t choose agriculture as a profession, but they should as it’s a rewarding work. As an agronomist, you can travel, learn extensively, and meet many people.”
In your opinion, what is the most important personality trait someone should have to work in your industry?
According to Milan, patience is crucial in his job. “You need to wait for results, particularly in product development, where it takes at least six months from sowing to harvesting and after that, it takes around three months to see the hybrids. So, first, it’s necessary to see how the varieties perform and only then make decisions based on the results. Precision, especially with timings, is also essential, because in agriculture if you miss something, you will need to wait another season.”
Tell us about a project you are proud of and why.
“Right when I started my journey at Hazera, I was ‘thrown into deep water’.” Laughs Milan. “By this, I mean that at that time we were organizing the open field days in Serbia. We had distributors from various countries in our region. For me, it was a fantastic start. It was a great opportunity to learn about our varieties, the market, and our customers. I’m proud of it, because I could contribute to the success of that event, even though I just started.”
What does Hazera growing together mean to you?
Milan says that “for me, growing together means two different things. One is professional growth as you can learn a lot from other colleagues and from the customers too. The other part is the growth of the company. Hazera is constantly investing in new ways and crops to stay on top of the market, and I think it’s a very good opportunity for our growers to grow together with us. Also, we’re solving a lot of problems for growers. For example, with ToBRFV, we started to introduce new varieties helping growers advance with us.”
Tell us something about yourself that most people do not know.
“I think that most people don’t know that I’m not just an agronomist, but also a farmer and vegetable grower. When we have visitors in our regions, they see that I’m also growing vegetables, and they are surprised to see my results.” Smiles Milan proudly. “One time, my six-year-old son helped me measure the sugar level of the watermelons I harvested, and he really liked the sweet taste of it. He said I have a cool job.”
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