EU PROGRES

The fruit growers from Vranje who participated in the project “Improvement of Fruit Production in the Pčinjski District” implemented with financial support by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland through European Partnership with Municipalities Programme - EU PROGRES, received today 49,652 free plum, sour cherry and apple seedlings from the Mayor Zoran Antić and the EU PROGRES Deputy Manager Marko Vujačić.

The fruit growers attended professional training on modern production techniques, orchard management, standardisation and preparation of the business plan. The total of 373 fruit growers from Vranje, Vladičin Han, Surdulica, Bosilegrad, Preševo, Bujanovac and Trgovište participated in this training and were given 202,247 seedlings in order to stimulate the fruit growing development in the Pčinja district.

“The support consisting of almost 50,000 seedlings that 93 registered farms from Vranje received owing to the European Union and the Government of Switzerland, will be precious for increasing the plum, sour cherry and apple production. And agriculture represents a great opportunity for economic development of this area,” said the Mayor of Vranje, Zoran Antić.

“We expect the fruit yield in the Pčinja District to increase from three to seven percent in the next five years. Besides the seedlings, the fruit growers also received modern knowledge and an experimental orchard was established as well. This project is a good example of inter-municipal cooperation, and local governments should cooperate in the future in order to ensure donations”, said EU PROGRES Deputy Manager, Marko Vujačić.