PELLET PLANT OPENED IN MEDVEDJA

14. March 2014.

Medvedja – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, put, yesterday, into operation the "Jablanica Eco" pellet plant in Medvedja, where 50 persons got emploeyd. The construction of the plant was financed by the municipality of Medvedja and the Government of the Republic of Serbia with 670,000 euros, as well as by the Government of Slovenia with 290, 000 euros, while another 100, 000 euros were provided through the "EU Progress“ program.

Prime Minister Dacic said that it was particularly important that the factory was opened in the ethnically mixed environment, from where people had beem emigrating over the previous few decades.

"The greatest problem of all of you here, whether you are Serbs, Albanians or Roma, is the economic situation and unemployment. The biggest problem is that the children who are born here should have a perspective, that they could live, work and survive in this area", said Prime Minsiter Dacic.

According to him, the projects such as this one are of great importance, since workers return to the production facilities, including the prospect of their enlargemnt.

"What you will be producing is, at the moment, very competitive on the market," he added.

He said that the opening of the plant had sent a signal to the future prospective investors to do the same in Medvedja, adding that the prospect of job creation was very important, as Medvedja was a municipality with ethnically mixed population.

"A hero, today, is someone who creates jobs, not the one who closes them," said Prime Minister Dacic.

The Slovenian Ambassador to Serbia, Franc But, said that that was a donation of the Slovenian people, adding that he expected that a few more Slovenian companies, over the next year, would invest funds in the municipality of Medvedja.

"In recent years, Slovenia, through various projects, donated 4.3 million euros to Serbia. I'm sure that a few more investors will come and that Medvedja will be an interesting place for investment to some of them,"said Ambassador But.

The Mayor of Medvedja, Slobodan Draskovic, said that it was the first manufacturing plant that had been opened in Medvedja after 15 years. The "Jablanica Eko" pellet plant will be producing a ton of pellets for heating per hour, while the entire amount of the produced pellets will be sold on the domestic market, as well as on those of Italy, Greece and Slovenia.The wooden mass for the production of pellets will be procured in the territory Medvedja, which is 65 percent forested.

Source: Tanjug and Coordination Body