The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management of Republika Srpska, Savo Minić, and the Minister of Industry of Belarus, Aleksandar Rogozhnik, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of agriculture in Banja Luka.
This signing is the result of the visit of the Srpska delegation, led by President Milorad Dodik, to Belarus in February this year.
The memorandum focuses on supporting the introduction of new technologies in agricultural production, as well as the procurement of new agricultural machinery.
The first step was taken three months ago in Minsk, with the second happening today in Banja Luka. The signing of the three-year memorandum will enable farmers in Srpska to purchase tractors with their participation of 40%, while the remaining amount will be provided by Srpska institutions, with the support of the manufacturer and distributor of “Belarus” tractors. A fund of five million euros was also agreed upon.
“What is important to emphasize is the agreed distribution network, services, and spare parts. We have received a promise that spare parts will be available within 24 hours, and there will be the possibility of replacing tractors during necessary servicing,” stated Minić.
An assessment of the signed memorandum was made during talks between the Serbian member of the Presidency, Željka Cvijanović, and the Belarusian delegation.
It was noted that bilateral relations between the two sides are not burdened with open issues, which represents a good foundation for strengthening cooperation.
Discussions were held with Prime Minister Radovan Višković about activities related to the preparation of an intergovernmental agreement on business-technical cooperation.
“The Government is interested in supporting and enabling favorable procurement of modern equipment from Belarus for the processing industry, which would be beneficial to manufacturers from Republika Srpska,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister of Srpska.
Finalizing an agreement on a regional center in Srpska for assembly and distribution of tractors to domestic and other markets is expected soon.
Previously, a partnership was established in the field of medicine. In the coming period, work will be done on cooperation in the field of science and education.
“This is just the beginning; we have many opportunities for joint cooperation. And I can say, you will have a sincere friend in Belarus in the future,” stated Ambassador of Belarus to BiH, Vladimir Ulakhovich.
The two ministries, each for their respective governments, will prepare information aimed at answering the question of what else Srpska and Belarus can do together to improve agriculture.
Source: RTRS
