News

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Support for women entrepreneurs in agribusiness

USAID Agribusiness Project has launched the Program of support for Women entrepreneurship in the rural areas of Serbia focused on improving their business skills and knowledge, as well as providing the start-up grant funds for the best agribusiness ideas that will apply to the following six sub-sectors: (1) Tree fruit, (2) Berries, (3) Vegetables, (4) Dairy, (5) Livestock, and (6) Mushrooms, Herbs and Forest Fruit.

The program will consist of two components:

• For the implementation of the training program to facilitate women entrepreneurship in agribusiness, USAID Agribusiness Project would consider awarding up to five grants to Serbian non-governmental organizations to design and implant the training program for women. Organizations - potential grant applicants should enable further contacts with the banks and the Government’s subsidy programs whereby the participating women would be able to present their business ideas as to obtain funding.
• The USAID Agribusiness Project will also provide grant funds to support the best business plans of participants in training program.

The training programs shell be conducted in the following towns and cities within these selected regions: Southern Serbia: Nis, Leskovac and Vranje; Central Serbia: Kragujevac, Cacak and Kraljevo; Western Serbia: Valjevo,Uzice and Sabac; and Eastern Serbia: Zajecar,Pirot,Bor or Pozarevac.

Detailed Program description and application forms can be downloaded at the following address: http://www.agrobiznis.net/english/19/procurement/

For additional information on the Program of support for women entrepreneurs in agribusiness, please contact: Marijana Bozić, Tel: 032-371-554; Email: Marijana_Bozic@agrobiznis.net

May 13,  2010; 10-15h
Congress Center “Master” at Novi Sad Fair (address: Hajduk Veljkova 11, Novi Sad)

Trends at EU organic market, with a special emphasis on France and Germany will be presented at the conference. Representatives of the French Ministry of Agriculture, associations, companies and certificators from France and Germany will present the role of state in promoting organic production, organisation of associations, demand for organic products and newest organic EU import regulations.

Conference will be opened by Nada Mišković, President of „Serbia Organica“,  and prof. Mirjana Milošević, State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the representatives of USAID and GTZ.

Presentations:


- Isabelle Mellier, director of Organic production department in the Ministry of Agriculture of France 
- Elisabeth Mercier, director Agencee Bio of France (national association of all organic traders and producers in France)
- Jean Verdier, Synabio President (Association of organic producers of France)
- Michel Reynaud, EOCC President (Council of European organic certifiers) i Ecocerta Vice-president
- Paul Van den Berge, Development and Cooperation FIBL-a (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture)
- Ulrich Reuben, Marketing Manager, Bauckhof (German Demeter Company)
- Jochen Neuendorff, General Manager, Gesellschaft für Ressourcenschutz GfRS (German Local Certification Body)

USAID Agribusiness project has launched the Program of support for agribusiness associations gathering agribusinesses (agricultural producers and companies involved in production, processing, or provision of agribusiness development services) in Serbia from the following six sub-sectors: (1) Vegetables; (2) Livestock; (3) Dairy; (4) Mushrooms, herbs and forest fruits; (5) Berries, and (6) Tree fruit.

The deadline for submission of applications and participation in this Program is June 3^rd 2010.

USAID Agribusiness project support (professional and financial assistance) is intended for registered associations of agribusinesses that operate at the regional or national level, with the goal to increase competitiveness of association members and foster growth of their commodities, create an enabling agribusiness environment and advance the sector in general.

USAID Agribusiness project grant funds will be allocated to associations that fulfill program criteria in support to members’ joint activities within a one year timeframe in the following areas:

• marketing and promotion
• joint product development
• technology transfer
• joint ventures and investments
• lobbying and advocacy to change industry-related policies and regulations, and
• capacity building of association and their members

Detailed Program description and application forms can be downloaded at the following address: http://www.agrobiznis.net/serbian/31/javni-pozivi-konkursi/

For additional information on the Program of support for agribusiness associations, please contact Pedja Cerovic, phone: 011/2436 611; Email: pedja_cerovic@agrobiznis.net  

Prof. Mirjana Milosevic, State Secretary of the Serbian Ministry of agriculture and Jim Stein Director of the Economic Growth Office, USAID, announced on Thursday April 29, 2010 at Aero Club in Belgrade the winners of competition for the best youth agriculture-related business plan.

Nine young entrepreneurs from Vojvodina, Sabac, Topola and Vranje, who received the certificates on this occasion, will receive over $120,000 in order to enable them to start or improve their own small agribusinesses (mini-dairy, high-tunnel production of strawberries, production of mushrooms, fruit drying etc)

This competition was organized by the USAID Agribusiness project, for the second year in a row now. From April to September 2009, twenty three applications were submitted from young entrepreneurs throughout the country. They had good ideas on starting up or improving their own small businesses and received guidance and advice from the Agribusiness project team in order to prepare the best possible business plans.

After detailed process, nine ideas, developed through business plans, were selected as the best ones. Their authors will receive in total $121,861 to bring to fruition the winning plans. 

A new round of the business plan competition was also announced today at Aero Club. The goal of this competition is to stimulate, inform and motivate young people to get personally involved in agribusiness. Through this activity and other similar activities focused on youth, USAID is determined to support the creation of a new class of young agricultural entrepreneurs, which in turn would lead to new jobs and improve the livelihoods of local communities throughout Serbia. 

The announced winners are:

 David Cvetanovic (age 23) - This young agriculture engineer from the village of Bukovac near Sombor (Vojvodina) plans to open a mini dairy, primarily for production of semi-hard cheeses.

Djurdjinka Berberski (age 22) - Agriculture Faculty student and farmer from Zrenjanin (Vojvodina) owns her own farm. She wants to improve the milk production and to increase profit rate by selling her products directly to the market via milk machines, instead of selling raw milk to big dairies. 

Marko Manojlovic (age 22) - student and farmer from Srpska Crnja (Vojvodina), will improve the milk quality by the procurement of modern equipment. 

Marko Vasic (age 20) - farmer from the village Lipolist, near Sabac plans to set up a mini drying facility, primarily for fruit drying. 

Mitic Nikola (age 20) - young farmer from the village Priboj Vranjski, near Vranje (south Serbia) plans to improve his milk production by acquiring new heads and adequate machinery.

Vladimir Ivanovic (age 20) - student from the village Sutci near Ljig (Central Serbia), already has 4 years old blueberry plant.  His Business Plan envisages improvement of the quality of his blueberries by introducing high quality irrigation system and adequate equipment to protect his crops from hail.

Vladan Radojevic (age 26) - Agriculture Faculty student from the village Natalinci near Topola (Central Serbia) is planning to set up a high-tunnel production of strawberries. 

Predrag Nesovic (age 26) - Agriculture Faculty student from Kula (Vojvodina) wants to start a Shiitake mushroom production. 

Nikola Srdanov (age 26) - young entrepreneur from Novi Sad (Vojvodina) together with Milivoj Radojcin, assistant at the Agriculture Faculty of Novi Sad, plans to produce medical herbs, with emphasis primarily on marigold, then on chamomile and mint.  Processing will include the production of ethereal oils. 

For additional information on this event, please contact Danijela Šever Radovanović, Communications advisor, USAID Agribusiness project, at 063/86-29-348.