Government-enraged farmers for removing protection measures for trees and vegetables

Less than two weeks went by, and the government abolished the decision binding Kosovo Customs on implementation of the Ministry of Trade and Industry's decisions, for placing temporary protection measures on imports of trees, vegetables and import of milk originated by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

No official clarification has been given by the Ministry of Trade and Industry for abolishing the Government's decision on safeguard clauses, even though Kosovo has tried to receive direct answers from Minister Bajram Hasani and the Office for Information of this Ministry.

From the Kosovo Economic Oda for the decision to apply the protection measure for trees and vegetables, it has been said that the decision has not only upset the local market, but also directly influenced the final price of products for processing and trade companies.

The chairman of the Kosovo Economic House, Berat Rukiqii for Kosova Prees, says the best way to support producers of trees, vegetables and milk would be to ensure fair competition, through stricter supervision of the quality of products imported, combating non-combat competition, to create a favourable market for farmers.

The government must be committed to supporting companies in investments for new technologies, supporting production companies in promoting their products, etc.”, Rukiqi has said.

For safeguard clauses, he said the Kosovo Economic Oda requires that there be policy making measured in relation to the effects of national policies on local businesses and their competitiveness in relation to the region.

Driton Havolli, a vegetable producer from Kline's Resnik, says the forest and vegetable sector is a sector left out by the Government of Kosovo.

According to him, current policies have been a very wrong step in supporting farmers with subsidies or granting of greenhouses.

This, according to him, is because the established criteria for grants have eliminated many valuable farmers.

These subsidies or grants in agriculture have never gone to the right place, he says, because state-funded projects have never been forwarded.

He thinks that local products can be protected by directly supporting the raw material, such as the seed, the construction of greenhouses, and the stimulus in the price of oil derivatives.

For protective measures, he says he has been aware that he will not be applicable for long.

The protective measures have been a wrong step, because a businessman by phone call requires the authorities to release goods on the border, so there is no stability with this. The government needs to stimulate the local product and match the other product, which is the game trader. So the government isn't interested in this. Because there is no point in coming to a businessman from Albania, Serbia and Macedonia with products cheaper than those of my greenhouse. However, these neighboring countries have the support and stimulus of the region's” farm, Havel said.

He also requested additional support for a modern infrastructure in the agriculture sector. And modernization.

While, vegetable producer Sej Sejm Godndi has criticised the government's move to abolish the safeguard clause for local products.

“As the small producer of vegetables and fruit, many enjoyed the ten) days before the Government cabinet made a decision to protect us -- local producers -- when you assigned additional vegetables tax that entered Kosovo. And I started to think there are people in this country who are thinking about us, so local producers. But this hope, the joy I had left yesterday when I learned that this tax was removed from today”, the Governor for Kosova Prees said.

He has reminded Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj that if it had taken place in one European country, today all farmers would be out on the streets and block the circulation, tons of vegetables would have been thrown onto the main streets in protest.

“Agriculture Sector is the main pillar for economic development of the state, so we ask the Government of Kosovo to take more seriously the support of farmers, to secure free and fair markets. Import, continues to stifle local production, and favourable policies have to be drafted for farmers”, Godanci said, adding that its products are very quality and competitive with those of the regional market and beyond.