The Italian company “Zue” in Posavina and the Kozarska region wishes to realizes a project of planting strawberries on an area of 200 hectares.
The deal will work so that farmers who enter into contracts for the cultivation of strawberries at the beginning will receive the necessary planting material to guarantee the purchase of what the produce.
Nikola Vukelić, the owner of the company “Prijedorčanka”, which will be the intermediary, said that at the beginning of the realization of this endeavor an agreement with the company “Merkantilia” from Velika Kladuša has been reached.
“This year, there will be planting on 14 hectares, which indirectly means cooperation with 120 local subcontractors’’, said Vukelić.
Vukelić explained that “Zue” is a well-known European manufacturer of fruit yogurt, which has an annual turnover of 270 million euros, and added that this company will work on storage and packaging of the strawberries for the Italians.
“This project is open for a large number of manufacturers and I have already spoken on the opportunities for growing strawberries in Srbac, Gradiška and Laktaši, said Vukelić.
He said that this plantation is of huge importance for the ability to create new revenue and for rural development.
“We wish to sign new contracts with a larger number of people from Slatina, near Banja Luka, which traditionally has good conditions for the planting of strawberries’’, said Vukelić.
He said that for the anticipated subcontracting it is necessary to create cooperation with many people.
“I believe that people would be interest to work with us because it is an agreement that offers security and opportunities to create good revenue’’, said Vukelić.
Cooperation with Italians with the mediation of “Prijedorčanke” received positive signals in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.
“The project is good and brings the possibility of involvement with a significant number of farmers. Now it is up to them, through cooperatives to come into contact with a larger number of interested people’’, said Bojan Kecman, the Spokesperson for this department.
Dragoja Dojčinović, the President of the Association of Fruit Growers of the RS, said that in the last few years’ manufacturers have not been interested in in growing fruit.
“This kind of production is exposed to weather conditions, and incentives for production in this sector are small, which are basically the reasons why manufacturers are more reluctant to grow strawberries’’, said Dojčinović and added that through strong cooperation it is possible to achieve better results than the current ones.
(Source: Nezavisne Novine)
