Serbian minister pretending to step down receives 2m euros from state budget and takes them north

Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development Ministry has allocated 2m euros to support agriculture development in northern Mitrovica

The favourite of this municipality is in conflict with the National Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development, which covers all of Kosovo and does not envision favouring certain municipalities or regions.

After drafting this programme, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has already announced the call for application for this 2m-euro programme for <x0m euros to build competitiveness in the agriculture sector, forestry through community involvement in rural development in the North Mitrovica region of”. While in the document signed by the minister reportedly these 2m euros will be divided in the Mitrovica region, in the published call has been more specific. These vehicles will reportedly be separated for northern Mitrovica.

This programme has been launched with northern Mitrovica, but calls are said to be in rotation, where each year it will be a different implementation region.

With 2m euros, several sectors will be supported: The tree sector, the tree sector, the milk and meat sector, the Fish Lands Sector, the non - wooded foresting sector, and the fragrant plants. In each of these supporting sectors, investments are specified that are acceptable or that can be supported through grants.

But this particular program for the less developed rural <x0)zone”, highlighting the “Mitrovica North”.

The ministry has planned that this grant can also benefit physical persons.

“Applicants must have tax payment and that, physical persons, property tax, while companies, corporate income tax and other applicable taxes” are said to call for grants.

Initially, the ministry has said that from this move to support agriculture in northern Mitrovica, projects will be supported up to 90% of the value, but later issued an improvement by lowering the percentage of support to 80%.

Under the Law on Agriculture in no country is said to be a separation of programmes for specific municipalities or regions.

The national agriculture and rural development plan, under the law, should also contain needed public funds for the implementation of agriculture and rural development policies, as well as necessary measures for monitoring and assessment of the programme's implementation.

Also, Article 12 of this law says it is the Agency for Agriculture Development responsible for implementing agricultural policy and rural development measures. Meanwhile, Article 13 says implementation of the measures should be made on the basis of non-princing criteria. Meanwhile, a Rajon has been favoured in these measures.

This is not the only regional programme, as this ministry has also called for application for a second programme aimed at rural development.

Up to 2m euros for a Business

The second programme concerns investments in rural infrastructure, for which 6m euros are earmarked. These vehicles will be divided into five regions. The beneficiaries of this measure can receive as much as 2m euros. That amount is for 10 times larger than the one planned in the regular rural development programme, which has the same mission but has only 4m euros in budgets.

In this measure, projects will be supported by public funds up to 50% of the project's value.

Investments under this measure will be extended to the 5 regions of the Republic of Kosovo, for which the northern part, c) the primary production and processing sector in the Peja region, the construction of modern market for agricultural products in Pristina and the construction of an organic waste processing centre and organic fertilizer production in Gjilan.

The criteria for benefiting from this fund are higher, as financial circulations are required twice the demand for support from the state are required.

If the amount of the grant required by the ministry is 1m euros, then the applicant should provide evidence that financial circulation in the last three years is at least 3m euros. This ratio of financial banking is valid for all the required amounts for which applicants apply”, the call for this “particular investment program for infrastructure”.

This measure envisions supporting only 50% of the total value of the project, totaling up to 1m euros.

The MBPZHR support package will be 50% of investments, the minimum value of projects will be 500 thousand euros, while the maximum 2m euros” document, says the minister for Agriculture's adviser.

Application for this program will be two-phase. Initially, the businesses that will apply would be put on the tight list based on: the power of agribusiness's financial capacities, as well as their capacity to manage the proposed actions as testified to in the experience presented.

“Agribusinesses who are on the narrow list to get into the competitive process, as a result of their application will be required to submit a full financial plan and business plan”, this call for this grant is said to be presented.

These two programmes are not drafted by the Agency for Agriculture Development, nor will they be guided by this agency. The implementation of these measures will be made by the Ministry of Agriculture, while Article 12 of the Agriculture Law, completion/reform, says the Agriculture Development Agency is competent for “implementing policy measures and rural development”.

The newspaper Life in Kosovo on May 2nd has sent questions to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Nenad Rikalo, but has yet to accept answers.

The paper has asked who drafted these two programmes, who will be implemented, and whether there are violations of the law about these procedures.

The MBPZH has also been asked that on the basis of what measurements the most underdeveloped regions have been determined to start applying these programmes. While, in terms of the measure for investments in infrastructure, it has been asked whether there is a duplication of measures, as the AZHB has “rural development program (mas 103)”. / JNK