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The fertile Danubian plains of Vojvodina prov., in N Serbia, are the most productive agricultural areas. Wheat, corn, hemp, sugar beets, and flax are the chief crops. Serbia proper has extensive vineyards and is a major fruit-growing region; plums are an important crop. Sheep and goat raising are important occupations in Montenegro.
Mining and manufacturing are the largest contributors to the economy; manufacturing is largely concentrated in Serbia proper, which is the most industrially developed region. Manufactures include iron, transport vehicles, and plastics. There are significant deposits of iron, bauxite, and petroleum in Montenegro and large coal reserves in Kosovo. The per capita gross national product for the six-republic Yugoslav federation was $5,000 in 1990, but soaring inflation, a staggeringly high foreign debt, rising unemployment, widespread corruption, and the effects of an international economic blockade brought the economies of Serbia and Montenegro to the brink of collapse in the 1990s.
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