Through the European PROGRES Development Programme, the European Union and Swiss Government will support with 207,961 euros 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.
Grants have been approved to fund the projects submitted by the Ratar-K Association of Agricultural Producers in Aleksinac, the Babušnica Beekeepers Association, the Gorica Farm Cooperative in Knjaževac, the Oblačinska višnja Agricultural Cooperative in Merošina, the Zlatarka Beekeepers Association in Nova Varoš, and the Novi Pazar-based the Pešter Food Association and Inter-Municipal Association of Agricultural Producers.
The farmers will use the grants to purchase farm machinery, equipment for the production and processing of agricultural produce and small-scale construction work, such as the construction of refrigerated 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, because we will be able to mow more land five times faster with the hay mowers. 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 Sajtarić, the Director of the Inter-Municipal Association of Agricultural Producers, rallying 37 agricultural associations (i.e. a total of 334 farms) in Novi Pazar, Sjenica and Tutin.
The successful 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, which was 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, involving raising the capacities of a number of farmers, representatives of 32 cooperatives and associations were provided with the opportunity to acquire and deepen their knowledge of managing cooperatives and associations, finances and marketing, share their experience with agricultural producers in France and familiarise themselves with the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPARD).
“The major potential of agriculture in Serbia will be used only if farmers continuously invest in applying new knowledge and technologies. In this way, the EU and the Swiss Government are providing them with the 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 projects granted aid is available on European PROGRES’ website: http://www.europeanprogres.org/rezultati/en/.
