Kaçanik, 14 June 2019 – Increased quality and compliance with the EU requirements and standards is needed in order to export the Kosovo products to the European market. This was said in the discussion that was organised by the EU Office in Kosovo in cooperation with the Ministry of Integration in the framework of the discussions to inform the citizens about the SAA, in the Municipality of Kaçanik, with the subject “Domestic production and the EU market”.
The needs and demands of domestic producers were also tackled, who required the regulation of the market and more support.
Speaking about the importance of agriculture in the municipality he chairs, the Mayor of Kaçanik, Besim Ilazi said that it is the farmers who benefit through these projects. “Farmers should not only be oriented towards subsidies, but also ask for advice and training with regard to achieving a higher quality and yield. The said advice and training is provided free of charge by the European Union, World Bank, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Agency, etc.”, said Ilazi.
On the other hand, the Mayor of Hani i Elezit, Rufki Suma, said that the main problem is the market, because according to him it is the collection points that are manipulating and the central institutions are not imposing measures to limit them.
“It is disturbing to those who have planted raspberries, they had to destroy them precisely because of the market; these collection points are just making fun of the citizens. There is no measure from the central level to limit those dealing with purchase and sale”, said Suma.
Program manager in the agricultural sector within the EU Office in Kosovo, Daniela Topirceanu, highlighted the importance of the SAA and the EU requirements for Kosovo products to become competitive in the EU market.
“The European market has many requirements which are also mentioned in the EU legislation and in order for Kosovo to be able to export to the EU market, it should observe all the requirements of the European market. The majority of the audience here are producers. One thing to keep in mind with regard to all the products that are exported to the European Union is the meet certain requirements and to pass certain checks”, she said.
Head of the Division for direct support and trade policies within the Ministry of Agriculture, Habil Zeqiri, spoke about institutional support. He explained some of the measures taken by the Ministry to subsidy the farmers and to improve this sector.
Last modified: August 5, 2022
