go to the original language article
“`html
MIONICA – In the village of Tolić near Mionica, a financial agreement worth 288 million euros was exchanged between the Government of Serbia and the European Commission. The agreement was exchanged by the head of the EU delegation in Serbia, Emanuel Giafre, and the Minister for European Integration, Tanja Miščević, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Aleksandar Martinović, who previously visited the farm of IPARD user Srđan Miletić, which is engaged in the breeding of broiler chickens.
IPARD III represents non-refundable funds allocated by the European Union to Serbia in the agriculture sector, aimed at increasing the efficiency of agricultural practices by investing in the physical assets of agricultural holdings, infrastructure in rural areas, technology, and the adoption of environmentally friendly methods. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Aleksandar Martinović pointed out that within the IPARD III program, new non-refundable funds have increased by about 65 percent compared to the IPARD II program. “This type of support is extremely important for our country and for our agricultural producers. We have already started implementing the IPARD III program by announcing public calls, and the interest of users across the country is great, as shown by the number of submitted applications,” said Martinović. As he says, Srđan Miletić’s farm is a good example of an IPARD user and an indication that the Government of Serbia is continuously working on improving the agricultural sector. “I am convinced that we will have equally successful examples through the new IPARD III development program,” the minister said. Martinović added that 60 percent of the funds received within the IPARD II program were utilized, and the goal is to increase the export of agricultural products. “In recent years, we have a mismatch between the production of crop and livestock. We produce enough corn, wheat, sunflower, but we are facing a decline in livestock numbers; we do not have enough cattle, especially pigs and cattle,” Martinović said.
As he said, that is the reason why it is necessary to strengthen the aforementioned sector. “This is a big challenge ahead of us. We are not satisfied with the amount of meat we have, our goal is to increase the livestock population in the coming period,” Martinović said. Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Emanuel Giafre, said that they are working to support Serbian farmers and ensure that when Serbia becomes an EU member, Serbian farmers become competitive EU farmers. “Funds from the IPARD program have been significantly increased, which reflects the EU’s commitment to these goals, as we see Serbia as a future EU member. Serbia will have to make good use of these funds and increase its absorption capacities in order to make the best use of the funds,” Giafre said.
Minister for European Integration Tanja Miščević says that IPARD III is intended for legal and physical entities in the regions of Belgrade, Vojvodina, Šumadija, western, southern, and eastern Serbia. “They will be able to purchase equipment and machines, build or renovate agricultural facilities to also meet European standards in the areas of hygiene, food safety, animal welfare, and environmental protection, improve their production and processing capacity, to place products on the EU market,” Miščević explained. The President of the municipality of Mionica, Boban Janković, says that there is also a local incentive for agricultural development, primarily in the area of organic production. “We are looking to connect tourism and agriculture,” he said. The first public call for the IPARD II program was announced in December 2017, worth 175 million euros, and by the end of the second cycle of this program, more than 1,100 farmers had the opportunity to use EU non-refundable funds. The IPARD III program for Serbia was adopted in March 2022, and its budget is 288 million euros.(November 12)
“`