Pejë, April 17, 2014 – The Eye of Vision organization (SiV) in cooperation with the Initiative for the Development of Agriculture in Kosovo (IADK) is in the process of implementing the project financed by the European Union “Strengthening the capacity of civil society for policy-making and consultation with the Government in the agricultural sector”, which aims to contribute to strengthening and raising the capacities of the Union of Agricultural Associations of Kosovo [BSHBK].
Within the component “Promotion of dialogue and cooperation between institutions and organizations of farmers at the national level”, Syri i Vizioni has organized a workshop with the farmers of the municipality of Peja, and the director of agriculture and economic development in the municipality of Peja, to discuss about the subsidies and grants allocated by the municipality of Peja for the development of agriculture. Initially, a local expert was engaged for expertise related to the issue of grants and subsidies at the local level, who collected data from the municipality of Peja about the procedures and funds that were allocated to farmers during the past years, these data were presented in this workshop, and then the participants are divided into groups by articulating the sectors that should be supported by the local level, and defining the group of farmers that should benefit from the local level. As recommendations from this workshop, it emerged that the local level should support small and medium-sized farmers, draw up clear criteria for all sectors that are supported by the local level, support agricultural products that have not been cultivated before, and which are profitable for farmers, and form commissions to evaluate the applications made by farmers and monitor the beneficiary farmers.