Republika Srpska Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Boris Pašalić spoke on Thursday in Bialystok with representatives of the Polish Pronar Company, which is manufacturing agricultural machinery, about prospects for investing in Srpska, which would enable this sort of manufacture to be established in these parts.
Pašalić has said that agricultural machinery is not manufactured in Srpska and that Srpska is interested in establishing it.
“In that case, we could treat it as domestic manufacture and could provide greater incentives for agricultural producers,” Pašalić told SRNA by phone from Bialystok.
He has said that the Ministry is co-financing the purchase of agricultural machinery from abroad to the tune of 30%, while in case of domestic production, co-financing could amount to 50%.
Pašalić has said that he informed representatives of the Pronar Company of benefits the Company would enjoy in case it decides to invest in Srpska.
“We spoke about prospects for this Company to establish the manufacture of agricultural machinery additions, and we will do an analysis in the next few months to see which potential partners in Srpska could secure necessary logistics, production space and labor force,” Pašalić said.
He expects Company representatives to visit Banjaluka after the analysis is done in order to discuss concrete cooperation with potential partners.
Minister Pašalić has said that this is a large Company which employs around 2,000 people and wants to expand its market to the area of the Balkans.
“The Company has already placed its products in our market by way of a company in Republika Srpska, but they want to widen the business and reach markets in Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Montenegro by way of our market,” the minister said.
Pašalić, who has been in Poland for the second day, has said that the visit is productive and that there was also word about cooperation between Srpska and Poland, not only in agriculture but in other fields as well.
“Certain municipalities in Eastern Poland expressed their interest in cooperation with similar municipalities in the Balkans, that is, in Republika Srpska, and such cooperation has already been agreed,” Pašalić said.
He has said that he yesterday signed a cooperation agreement between Podlaskie Voivodeship and Republika Srpska which will provide a framework for concrete cooperation.
Pašalić took part in a panel discussion at the Eastern Economic Congress in Bialystok on Wednesday where he said that Republika Srpska wanted to follow the example of Poland which had become one of the most successful economies in the EU.
Source: Srna
