News in English     | 29.07.2019. 18:06 |

EU4Business Program - Funds for ten agricultural holdings in BiH

FENA Vernera Jakupović

SARAJEVO, July 29 (FENA) - In the EU4Business project funded by the European Union, a total of 1.6 million KM has been granted for the ten selected agricultural holdings in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the same time, a public call for the next allocation of 2.6 million KM was made in the part of this project related to the agricultural sector.

Before today's signing of the agreement with the selected ten users, Head of the European Union Delegation to BiH Lars-Gunnar Wigemark told reporters that agricultural production and rural development is one of the most important sectors in BiH that has “been somehow neglected” so far, but that the European Union has intended for it 30 million euros after the adoption of the framework document, the Rural Development Strategy.

The goal is to encourage producers and small agricultural companies, Wigemark said, adding that money was already approved for signing contracts today with ten small companies.

In order for this sector to comply with EU standards, a portion of 30 million KM will be intended for compliance with phytosanitary and other standards, while most will be allocated as support to producers, since a significant proportion of the population lives and earns income in the rural sector.

Dušan Nešković, Assistant Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasizes that the European Union wants to follow the priorities set out in the Strategy and that the realization of part of the financial support for BiH is already visible in the field.

This will not be the last public call, but will be followed by more funds for the fields of manufacturing and rural development, which is important both for the strengthening of agricultural activities and the corresponding institutional mechanisms.

UNDP Resident Representative Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov emphasized that agriculture is an important sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is why it is “inevitable to act in this area”.

About 130,000 people are somehow involved in the agricultural sector, whose share in exports to the European Union is about 35 percent.

Emphasizing that the second phase is expected, i.e. the allocation of another 2.6 million KM on the basis of a new public call, as well as the need for a great deal of innovation in the agricultural sector, Khoshmukhamedov said that among the goals are new productivity and quality of production. Negotiations with the European Union are under way for another program complementary to the EU4Business project, concluded Khoshmukhamedov.

The EU4Business project is funded by a joint fund of the European Union in the amount of 15 million euros and the Federal Republic of Germany in the amount of 1.1 million euros. It is jointly conducted by GIZ, UNDP and International Labor Organization from April 2018 to March 2022.

The aim is to strengthen competitiveness and create new jobs in export-oriented sectors, tourism, agriculture and rural development.

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises will have a total of 20 million KM in return for job creation and economic growth.

Direct users are companies, farmers and entrepreneurs, with special emphasis on young people, women and vulnerable groups.

(FENA) L. N.

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