Young married couples in the country were overjoyed by the news from the Ministry of Agriculture that, from this month, 500 marks will be awarded for each newborn baby on registered farms. That, they say, along with other incentives, is the best way to improve the demographic picture of Srpska.
Support for childbirth on farms is being introduced for the first time in Srpska. Twenty-one-year-old Kostići from Pelješac near Lopare is engaged in animal husbandry. They have two children. They plan to expand both the estate and the family. They say, for a newborn, 500 marks is good help.
– It helps a lot. In the countryside, every incentive is welcome, since you are “struggling” with rain, snow, various weather conditions – so any help is welcome – said Nikola Kostić-
Dragiša Sofrenić also plans to expand the family. He has so far received incentives for production but considers this support special.
– These incentives would be welcomed to any young family planning children – said Dragiša Sofrenić from Velino Selo near Bijeljina.
The youth in the countryside should be encouraged in different ways in order to preserve their estates and create conditions for a better life, says the minister in charge.
– The funds now available are not large, they should be much higher, but it is important that we started with this measure and as time goes on we plan more significant funds. It is important to stimulate people to stay in the countryside and give birth to children – said Boris Pašalić, Minister of Agriculture of Srpska.
Demographers also claim that achieving a sustainable rural life is important for improving the demographic picture.
– What we have now through these measures, it is good to keep the indigenous population in this region. Of course, other investments are needed to retain the rural population. We simply must not allow this spatial development to stop us – added the demographer Stevo Pašalić.
In addition to birth support, there are a number of other supportive measures of the line ministry to rural youth, from co-financing capital investments, self-employment, supporting women to other measures, to creating the conditions for preserving the population and contributing to demographic renewal.
TST
