The European Union and the Government of Switzerland will support the implementation of projects of five agricultural associations and two agricultural cooperatives in South East and South West Serbia aimed at improving their production and market competitiveness through the European PROGRES Development Programme to the tune of EUR207,961.
Grants have been approved to fund the projects submitted by the Ratar-K association in Aleksinac, the Babusnica beekeepers association, the Gorica farm cooperative in Knjazevac, the Oblacinska visnja agricultural cooperative from Merošina, the Zlatarka beekeepers association from Nova Varos, and the Novi Pazar-based Pester Food association and Inter-Municipal association of agricultural producers.
The grants will be used to purchase machinery, equipment for the production and processing of agricultural produce and small-scale construction works, such as the construction of refrigerated warehouses and drying facilities, with a view to increasing the volume of their production and introducing technological innovations.
“The new tractor attachments will help us improve the quality and speed of preparing cattle fodder as the hay mowers will allow us to mow more land five times faster. The new machinery will improve our preparation of the land for sowing and, notably, encourage cooperation among the farmers, who will be using the machines together,” said Ismet Sajtaric, the director of the Inter-Municipal association of agricultural producers which brings together 37 agricultural associations, that is a total of 334 farms, in Novi Pazar, Sjenica and Tutin.
The projects, aimed at improving fruit and vegetable production, animal husbandry and apiculture in the Programme municipalities, were selected in the second stage of the Call for Applications supporting agricultural producer groups, implemented in September and October 2016. Thirty-two agricultural producer groups selected in the first stage of the Call were eligible to apply. During the first stage of the Call, which involved capacity building activities of a number of farmers, the representatives of 32 cooperatives and associations were provided with an opportunity to acquire and broaden their knowledge about the management of cooperatives and associations, finance and marketing, share their experience with agricultural producers in France and learn more about the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPARD).
“In order to harness the major potential of agriculture in Serbia, it is necessary that farmers continuously invest in applying new knowledge and technologies. This way, the EU and the Swiss Government are providing them with an opportunity to implement their ideas and improve their production in concert, through cooperatives and associations,” said European PROGRES Programme Manager Graeme Tyndall.
The list of approved projects is available on the European PROGRES web-site:
http://www.europeanprogres.org/rezultati/sr/
The European Union and the Government of Switzerland will support the activities of the European PROGRESS programme, which contributes to the sustainable development of the South and South West Serbia, with a total of EUR24.46 million. Approved projects will be aimed at strengthening local administration, creating a favourable environment for the development of infrastructure and economy as well as improving the implementation of social inclusion and employment policy. The programme is implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
The municipalities included in the programme are as follows: Novi Pazar, Ivanjica, Nova Varos, Priboj, Prijepolje, Raska, Sjenica and Tutin in South West Serbia, as well as Prokuplje, Blace, Zitoradja, Kursumlija, Leskovac, Bojnik, Vlasotince, Lebane, Medvedja, Crna Trava, Vranje, Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Vladicin Han, Presevo, Surdulica, Trgoviste, Brus, Aleksinac, Gadzin Han, Doljevac, Merosina, Svrljig, Babusnica, Bela Palanka and Knjazevac in South East Serbia.
