GIZ DONATED EQUIPMENT TO BEEKEEPERS IN MEDVEDJA

23. November 2017.

Medvedja – After having donated 50 bee-hives, representatives of the German Organization for International Cooperation GIZ presented members of the newly established association of beekeepers "Apis" in Medvedja with a set of modern honey – processing equipment.

Members of the association received from the aforesaid organization electric manual devices for extracting honey, a sugar mill, a wax melting device with a press, a duplicator or a machine that separates fructose, so that pure honey could be obtained, as well as a homogenizer and a lap-top.

Previously, the GIZ provided assistance with the establishment of the association, while the municipality of Medvedja supported the initiative and provided the premises for keeping the equipment and holding the meetings and training sessions that would be held.

Heinz-Dieter Harbers, the Manager of the GIZ "Encouraging Youth Employment" project, attended the equipment delivery event and the meeting with the beekeepers.

During the joint meeting, Nebojsa Arsic, the Mayor of Medvedja, pointed to the problem of mass departure of young people from the area due to lack of work.

“The donation of the equipment to the association of young beekeepers will help our young beekeepers with starting and improving their businesses, which is of great importance for our entire community, because it provides the conditions for young people to stay in the region and provide safe existence for themselves and their families. The municipality of Medvedja sees its chance for development in providing assistance to agricultural producers, because there are natural resources for the development of bee-keeping, cattle-breeding and fruit-growing, which should be used as an advantage of this area. It is very important to turn youth towards the country, and provide them the conditions in which they could support themselves and their families with their work. It is for us in the local self-government to provide as favorable business conditions to our fellow citizens as possible, which people from the GIZ organization help us do with such projects, while it is for the young bee-keepers to use the help as much as possible, and to justify it with their efforts and work, not because of Medvedja and the GIZ organization, but because of themselves, for they thus form the basis for their secure future, "Mayor Arsic said.

The project "Encouraging Youth Employment" is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia. The aim of the project is to support young people aged between 15 and 35 to better position themselves on the labor market and get jobs more easily. The city of Leskovac is a partner in implementing the project in the Jablanica District.

Source: Jugmedia and Coordination Body