Skopje, 13 July 2023 (MIA) - The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy presented Thursday grant agreements in the amount EUR 10,000 for small-scale food producers of animal-source foods.

Within the next 10 days, small scale producers will receive the money in advance, and within 45 days they will need to acquire the equipment and implement the business plan for which they applied. Ninety percent of the funds are intended for the purchase of the needed equipment, and 10 percent will be used to pay the experts who will follow the production process.

"What makes me especially happy is that the contracts we are awarding today, like the previous contracts for small start-up wineries, will be realized in different villages in all regions across the country- Tetovo, Kichevo, Prilep, Budinarci, Berovo, Petrovec... These investments will be realized in all regions in North Macedonia and new brands of Macedonian white cheeses, yellow cheeses, and other types of products will be produced," said Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Ljupcho Nikolovski.

This program, as he said, is a continuation of the serious policies to reform the entire sector in favor of the creation of final domestic agricultural products.

Nikolovski expressed satisfaction from the success in the implementation of policies in animal husbandry which are supposed to stop its decline.

"For the first time ever, livestock farmers got their subsidies on time, for the first time the entire basic payment was completed by 30 July," noted Nikolovski and added that the call for supplying a high pedigreed livestock will be supported by significantly more than 70 percent through the rural development investment programme. Nikolovski is also satisfied with the payment of subsidies for delivered milk, because of the previous 14 unpaid phases, they have now been reduced to three, and he hopes that once the payments are completed, that they can move on with regular subsidies payments.

The Minister announced that the implementation of the largest-ever IPARD 3 Programme for the modernization of agriculture will begin in August.

"We are the first country in the region that can boast over the IPARD 3 Programme's commencement this year. No other country will do so this year, and that means encouraging farmers, in this case the livestock farmers, to completely take advantage of the EUR 120 million of European funds that we have at our disposal," Nikolovski stressed. ssh/ik/

Photo: MIA archive