ORGANIC FOOD WITH THE HELP OF HOT SPRING WATER FROM SIJARINSKA SPA

25. March 2019.

Мedvedja – A four-member student team from Medvedja developed a unique business plan for the production of organic food in greenhouses that would be irrigated throughout the year with warm spring and medicinal water from Sijarinska Spa, which now flows into the spa river. The team received the third prize for this idea at the regional competition of the Association of Inventors of Serbia, which was held in Vranje under the slogan "Competition Days of Young Entrepreneurs and Innovators".

This actually has to do with the creation of a virtual enterprise, from the idea through the business plan and its sustainability.

“The students first started from the idea of using hot water from 18 spa springs that flow into the river, and then, through the workshops, they came to the final idea of establishing an organic food production company that operates all year round, including the revenues and expenses, as well as the profits. The whole idea is theirs, which we, teachers, supported, "explained Rade Perovic, one of the teachers.

This idea has been present in the plans of the local authorities for decades, but it has never been realized in practice, so it seems that young, potential businessmen listened carefully and entered everything into the computer.

The best students of the eight grade of elementary school and the first year students of secondary school competed. The competitors include Andjela Zlatkovic Milica Vuletic, Petra Lazic and Nikola Filipovic, accompanied by Dragana Veselinovic and Rade Perovic, teachers of elementary school "Gornja Jablanica" and secondary technical school "Nikola Tesla" from Medvedja.

On the first day, a workshop called "Making a Business Plan" was held, while the second was held in the hall of the Army Hall in Vranje, where the students from Medvedja took the third place.

Besides the award-winning students, the President of the Inventors Association, Slobodan Bata Simic, also gave two "Mihajlo Pupin" awards to the Medvedja municipality and to Nebojsa Arsic, who attended the second day of the competition.

"From a large number of teams from all over Serbia, the team from Medvedja won the third place and showed that knowledge in small environments is at a high level. Investing in youth and science has always proved to be the best investment, because they are the real ambassadors of the Medvedja municipality, "said Nebojsa Arsic, the number- one- man of Medvedja.

The event was also attended by State Secretary for Economy, Dragan Stevanovic, and State Secretary for Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Nenad Neric.

The Association of Inventors of Serbia has existed since 1956 and it has over 1,000 active members from 12 organizational units of Serbia.

Source: Jugmedia and Coordination Body