Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Martinović held a lecture on "Agriculture in Montenegro - situation and prospects"

We are transmitting the press release in its entirety:

The Association of Young Ecologists Nikšić organized a lecture "Agriculture in Montenegro - the situation and prospects" for a group of farmers engaged mainly in crop production. On the topic "Agriculture in Montenegro - situation and perspectives" spoke prof. Dr. Aleksandra Martinović, who pointed out that Montenegro must develop the production of high quality traditional products.

"Traditional products should be placed on the market primarily through the tourism sector, following the principles of sustainability and respecting environmental principles. To that end, it is important to educate producers through the Code of Good Agricultural Practice, with special attention to adequate waste disposal, "said the professor.

As one of the missing links in the Montenegrin agricultural sector, Martinovic cited the lack of an integrated management and control system (IACS).

"Controls are carried out through a computer system when it comes to the register of animals, databases related to plant production such as crops, tobacco, vegetables and greenhouses, the register of grape and wine producers, the register of olives and the register of agricultural insurance policy holders." However, those databases are not integrated, '' she said during the lecture, adding that on-site inspections of livestock and crops were being carried out and that one of the goals of the MIDAS project was to establish connected information systems.

Good agricultural practice means producing food in a way that takes care of the environment.

"Recommendations given in the Code of Good Agricultural Practice will help farmers to protect agricultural land in Montenegro for the benefit of all its citizens and future generations, keep rivers, lakes and drinking water in Montenegro clean and healthy by avoiding nitrate pollution, protect animal health and welfare , they use pesticides safely in order to protect themselves, their families, neighbors and consumers in general, animals, as well as the environment ", Professor Martinović emphasized.

During the discussion, the farmers had the opportunity to express their views on the topic and the problems they face in their daily work. Raspberry producer Ranko Radulović mentioned that the necessary certificates cannot be obtained in Montenegro.

"In order to place my product on the market of the European Union, specifically Croatia, I need certificates that I cannot get in Montenegro. Although I have offers from Dubrovnik, I am not able to place my products there ", he said and stated the problem of too long duration of the project, from the beginning of realization to the profitability of credit funds.

For Mitar Jovović, a potato producer in Miločani, a great difficulty in dealing with agriculture is the placement of surplus products at a cost-effective price.

"It is very important to protect domestic producers, because they cannot compete with imported ones." There is also the problem of control of seeds, especially imported ones, which have proved weak this year, especially potato seeds ", he pointed out.

During the project "Improvement of local capacities for the needs of agricultural producers", the Association of Young Ecologists Nikšić will continue working with the target group of farmers from the municipality of Nikšić, which was formed in the past period.

The project was funded by the Municipality of Niksic in a competition for projects of non-governmental organizations in the project area of Agriculture and Rural Development.