19 March 2019 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Milutin Simović and Head of the European Union Delegation to Montenegro Aivo Orav visited the entrepreneurs in Podgorica, Golubovci and Tuzi, who benefited from the IPARD like programme.
Fourteenth companies from this region invested more than 1,25 million EUR, with potential grants of 535.000 EUR. The European Union has secured three-quarters of the money, while one quarter allocated from the national budget.
European Union Ambassador to Montenegro Aivo Orav emphasised that he is impressed by the concrete results of European Union support for Montenegrin entrepreneurs in the field of agriculture and food processing.
"I am convinced that entrepreneurship of farmers is improving the daily life of the citizens of Montenegro in terms of increasing production, but also meeting the high standards of processing, creating new jobs and contributing to the economic development of Montenegro," said Ambassador Orav.
The Government of Montenegro has been making continuous efforts towards systematic provision of fair conditions in the food market since farmers face numerous challenges in an open market game. These are the challenges that European manufacturers face.
"The new Directive on unfair trading practices in the food supply chain, adopted by the European Parliament on 12 March, is a roadmap and framework for the Montenegrin agricultural policy," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Milutin Simović
Encouraged by the progress made in the agricultural sector, which significantly contributes to the overall development of the Montenegrin economy, job creation, preservation and improvement of the existing ones, DPM Simović noted that all possibilities should be used to strengthen producers and eliminate the elements of unfair competition.
"I take this opportunity to congratulate the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan on the historical breakthrough - the adoption of the Directive on unfair trading practices in the food supply chain. This directive will be very important for the future of European agriculture, for maintaining the stability of the income of agricultural producers and increasing the living standards of citizens who depend on agricultural and related activities," the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.
This directive, as he pointed out, is a guideline and a framework for the Montenegrin agricultural policy.
