Memoranda of understanding signed with ministries of agriculture of Romania and Portugal

The Ministry of Agriculture of Serbia signed the memoranda of understanding with the ministries of agriculture of Romania and Portugal on May 9th, 2009, at the Novi Sad Trade Fair.

The Minister of Agriculture, Saša Dragin, said that those documents were very important because Serbia, Portugal and Romania had agreed on realization of joint programmes, so-called twinning projects.

Dragin said that the project with Romania would be realized in the fields of phytosanitarian inspection and veterinary medicine, while the joint project with Portuguese Ministry would concern irrigation and wine production.

According to the estimates of experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, the value of each individual project will amount to minimum 2m EUR, and they will be mainly financed from the EU funds.

- Agriculture is the most demanding domain as far as EU standards are concerned because we have to bring over 8,000 regulations in accord with European legislation. Therefore we find the transfer of experience from the countries members of EU extremely precious – Dragin pointed out.

He said that the Ministry’s wish was to increase the annual surplus of 600m USD in the exchange of agricultural products.

- That is why we need new foreign investments and that is why we want to show our food production values to foreign delegations – said Dragin.

Romanian Minister reminded that he had started cooperation with Serbian colleagues in 2003, at the beginning of his first mandate, and he added that, in addition to agreements and memoranda, personal friendship of the high officials of the two countries was of great significance as well.

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

Novosadski sajam a.d. Novi Sad

Ambasada Rumunije Beograd

Ambasada Republike Portugal u Bosni i Hercegovini

Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad

Ministry of Agriculture of Romania

Ministry of Agriculture of Portugal

Saša Dragin

twinning project