Agriculture ministry press: 2013 saw production and employment increase, over 1,000 new jobs planned in 2014

Podgorica, Montenegro (15 January 2014) – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Petar Ivanović gave a press conference Monday, discussing the 2013 achievements in the field of agriculture and the intensified activities and campaigns that will contribute to achieving the 2014 goals.

In 2014, the Ministry of Agriculture plans to create 1,000 new jobs, sign 300 new contracts with agricultural producers totalling EUR 10 million and implement all the measures set out in the Agriculture Budget for 2014, Minister Ivanović noted. An increase in agricultural production of 2%, 120 new acres of planted areas, and 150 new sub-contractors are also among the Ministry’s main objectives in 2014, he explained.

Minister Ivanović also emphasised that in the next two years farmers in Montenegro will have access to more that EUR 70 million.

This year, the Ministry will also concentrate on further awareness-raising among citizens and farmers, improving safety standards for food production, faster introduction of quality schemes, especially for organic products, and more intensive introduction of designation of origin, Minister Ivanović announced.

Special attention, in his words, will be paid to support for the northern region of Montenegro.

“Through the MIDAS programme, we expect that EUR 4 million within 150 projects will be invested in the northern part of the country. We plan to sign contracts worth an additional EUR 3.5 million,” the Minister of Agriculture stated.

According to Minister Ivanović, most of subsidies from the agriculture budget will be directed towards the north.

“We will offer more than EUR 3.5 million in grants, namely EUR 800,000 for purchasing milk, around EUR 2 million in premiums for cattle, EUR 400,000 for crop, and EUR 150,000 for fruit production,” he pointed out.

Summarising the achievements in 2013, Minister Ivanović said that the Ministry contributed to the increase in production and planted areas. Milk production was increased by 11% and five new cheese plants were opened. There was an increase in the number of subcontractors by 300, as well as in plantings of vines and orchards by 25 hectares, or nearly 100 acres, he said.

“We fully implemented the Agro-budget and paid all the premiums. Our focus was on creating new jobs, therefore more than a thousand people were employed in the sector of agriculture in 2013,” Minister Ivanović underlined.