For the first time, Macedonia's agriculture has a clearly defined five-year National Development Program under which the government has singled out 700 million euros for the period between 2015-2017. This endorses the strong agricultural support conducted through direct subsidies and gradual policy creation in accordance with the favourable agricultural practice, Agricultural Minister Ljupco Dimovski said at Friday's annual working meeting of SEE agricultural ministers in Pristina.

Activities, he added, aim at carrying out projects related to infrastructure, irrigation and drainage, local roads, village improvement, cultural heritage protection, etc...

"The document fully complies with one of the conclusions of the 2012 Ohrid Agenda, according to which governments are recommended to avoid introduction of agricultural measureas that are not in line with the policies of the World Trade Organisation and the EU. It urges SEE countries to focus on agricultural development policies and to provide growth and development of rural areas," Dimovski noted.

Macedonia makes utmost efforts to use IPARD funds, according to the minister. "IPARD implementation is a great challenge not only for institutions, but also for the private sector."

The meeting was hosted by the Kosovo Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development and the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in South-East Europe (SWG).

The SWG presidency was handed over by minister Dimovski to his Kosovo counterpart Blerand Stavileci.

SWG is an International Intergovernmental Organization, consisted of governmental institutions responsible for rural development in respective countries and territories of South Eastern Europe. The SWG is working to empower and promote sustainable principles on agriculture and rural development, through networking and permanent cooperation between all stakeholders of agriculture and rural development in SEE region.