EUR 7 million grant for Montenegrin farmers provided in Agriculture Ministry’s MIDAS project

Podgorica, Montenegro (15 November 2013) – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development provided grants worth approximately EUR 7 million for 244 farmers from 20 municipalities within the MIDAS project implemented together with the World Bank, Minister Petar Ivanović said at the ceremony held today to sign the grant agreements with farmers.

Minister Ivanović explained that EUR 7 million to be invested in 244 projects, around EUR28.000 per project, will create “at least as many jobs,” noting that as many 450 new jobs in the agriculture sector have been created since 1 November.

Since the outset of MIDAS project in 2009, 650 projects have been launched worth EUR 13.8 million, of which 400 were launched this year, Agriculture Minister stressed. He underlined that 140 projects, which amounts to around 60%, have been undertaken in Montenegro’s north, the least developed region.

In his speech at the ceremony, which gathered Montenegrin farmers, bankers, traders, tourism workers, and institutions, Minister Ivanović said the Government wants to help get agriculture and other economy sectors closer with the view to boosting the quality of Montenegro’s output across sectors.

He invited the banks to make their procedures simpler and their interest rates lower, the traders to improve distribution and packaging of nutrition products, and hotels to introduce more Montenegrin food products in their offers.

The Minister noted that among the primary concerns in implementing the project were environmental concerns and sustainable development, as well as protection of Montenegro’s resources, and in particular water.

Montenegro Institutional Development and Agriculture Strengthening (MIDAS) Project is a loan arrangement with the World Bank aimed at preparing Montenegrin agriculture and its institutions for the future membership of the EU.