In order to mitigate the negative effects of the spread of the new coronavirus, the Republika Srpska Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management has allocated 2.2 million BAM in loans from the ongoing IFAD Rural Competitiveness Project to encourage agricultural production, eKapija business portal reports.
The measure is aimed at establishing food security across the Republika Srpska through the distribution of seed packages for the needs of small farms, the ministry said.
The Ministry will finance the full amount of the package to encourage the production of as much agricultural produce for its own needs. Support packages contain fertilizer, seeds and seed material from basic vegetable crops, which is sufficient to base production on half a dunum of farmland.
Measuring the distribution of free parcels worth around 250 BAM, it is planned to cover 9,000 small farms.
Municipal services, in cooperation with the Republican Advisory Service, will be involved in the selection of beneficiaries and the organization of the distribution of seed packages.