Further growth of exports requires more intense activities of producers oriented towards marketing, as well as the association of domestic companies due to limited quantities, product range and financial resources, announced the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG).
"The creation of clusters and/or other forms of association eliminates the problem of fragmentation of production and insufficient production capacities and contributes to the strengthening of competitiveness," PKCG representatives told Mina-business agency.
They believe that to substitute imports with domestic production and export growth; it is necessary to work on strengthening the quality of the domestic supply, better position domestic products and link agriculture and tourism.
This, as PKCG stated, should work through the projects “Goods from Montenegro” (“Dobro iz Crne Gore”), “Let’s buy domestic products” (“Kupujmo domaće”), “Domestic flavors” (“Domaći ukusi”).
PKCG announced that a large number of products, especially agricultural foods, are unnecessarily imported, as there are capacities - domestic production, which could satisfy the bulk of domestic demand.
"We are known to produce high-quality beverages, meat and meat products, dairy products, honey, olives. Untapped possibilities are the richness of various medicinal and self-cultivated plants, then in forest areas of mushrooms, honey plants, forest fruits, as well as huge unused potential in the field of organic production, freshwater and marine fisheries," said PKCG.
High and persistent commodity deficits, as they have estimated, require further structural reforms, accompanied by a significant increase in productivity. PKCG reminded that the total foreign exchange trade of Montenegro from January to the end of November last year, according to the preliminary data of Monstat, amounted to 2.7 billion euros, which is 12.2 percent more than in the same period of 2017. Import coverage by export was 15.6 percent. "Imports of goods for the first 11 months of last year amounted to 2.34 billion euros. From Serbia, as the main partner, the most imported were beverages, alcohols and vinegar, plastics and plastic products, "they added from PKCG.
The export was realized for 363.9 million euros, and in Serbia, the most exported were pharmaceutical products and mineral fuels and mineral oils.
"The commodity deficit is mainly a consequence of the realization of the started investment projects, as well as the import of products that we cannot produce and must be imported," it was concluded by PKCG.
Text by MINA Business, on January 13th 2019, read more at Vijesti
