LALIĆ: EASIER FLOW OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS TO EU MARKETS NEEDED

BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 30 /SRNA/ - Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska Saša Lalić said that at today's annual meeting of agriculture ministers of Southeast Europe in Belgrade, he would propose removing certain customs barriers to facilitate the flow of agricultural products from Srpska and the region to EU markets.

"The most important thing is that Republika Srpska is an equal partner at such meetings, and that is what Srpska and its entire leadership strive for. We sit down and talk with both the countries of the region and EU countries," Lalić told SRNA during a break at the meeting being held at the Palace of Serbia. He said that climate change and its impact on agricultural production are a focus of EU agricultural policy and that responses are being sought to all these developments, as well as to the issue of young people in rural areas, which is also a focus of the Ministry of Agriculture of Srpska. "For years, the Ministry has been investing in irrigation systems and modernizing agriculture in order to preserve domestic agricultural production as an extremely important resource, but at the same time you also have to deal with an open market and position our producers so that they are competitive," Lalić said. He expressed confidence that today's meeting, as well as bilateral meetings with ministers from the region, would result in conclusions that could help the Ministry in Srpska provide conditions and predictability for agricultural producers, so that they would know what they can count on. Lalić noted that the current Agriculture Development Strategy of Republika Srpska expires next year, adding that efforts would be made to ensure that the new strategy contains achievable plans. He added that the Ministry's goal is to bring water to every field, given forecasts that climate change could have an even more alarming impact on agricultural production. "It is very positive that the leadership of Republika Srpska has open doors in Israel, Moscow and America. President Milorad Dodik, during his two visits to Israel in the previous period, has already agreed on certain activities, which makes us all pleased. Israel is light years ahead when it comes to irrigation systems," Lalić concluded. The meeting brought together ministers and heads of delegations from across Southeast Europe, as well as representatives of several Western European countries and institutions, to hold high-level discussions on the future of agriculture and rural development. This year's agenda is focused on progress regarding the Common Agricultural Policy, the IPARD programme and European integration, as well as potential strategic partnerships aimed at improving practices and building capacity. Discussions will also address climate change and wildfire risks in the Western Balkans, as well as a review of regional cooperation in the agri-food sector. The increasingly important role of the Berlin Process and regional political dialogue in promoting policy alignment in agriculture and rural development in Southeast Europe will also be discussed, while joint conclusions are expected to be adopted at the end of the event. The 20th anniversary meeting is organized by Serbia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group for Southeast Europe.