RESUMPTION OF PRODUCTION IN “LECE” MINE IN APRIL – JOBS FOR 300 WORKERS

22. January 2010.

MEDVEDJA – At a press-conference that was held in Medvedja on January 21, 2010, Minister Milan Markovic, and President of the Coordination Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, announced the opening of the “Lece” mine this March, as well as resumption of the production and the hiring of 300 workers this April. Minister Markovic pointed out that at the beginning of his term of office at the Coordination Body, he had set two goals for Medvedja, which include the opening of bilingual faculty departments and resumption of operation of the “Lece” mine. Both goals have been reached and, along with the preservation of multi-ethnicity and the living together of members of different ethnic communities, they make up the backbone of the Coordination Body’s policy in Medvedja. Minister Markovic thanked Slobodan Draskovic, the president of the municipality of Medvedja, for having kept and preserved the mine over the past ten years by using the municipality’s funds. He also said that one would be able to note this year that Medvedja had changed for the better and added that it wouldn’t be in the category of the least developed Serbian municipalities any longer.
Slobodan Draskovic, president of the municipality of Medvedja, underscored that that day was a great one for Medvedja and added that if it hadn’t been for the involvement of Minister Milan Markovic and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, the “Lece” mine wouldn’t have once again become the backbone of development of Medvedja.

A delegation consisting of 28 businessmen, among whom were representatives of RTB Bor, Sabac dairy plant, the “7.jul” foundry from Guca and an electric battery-manufacturing plant from Sombor, was headed by Miroslav Bogicevic, the owner of the “Lece” mine and the number-one man of the “Farmakom MB” Company. He pointed out that “Farmakom”, with 2,500 employees and the annual turnover of 200 million euros, was the mixture of domestic raw materials, the know-how and output. Mr. Bogicevic claims that the same would go for the “Lece” mine. He is sure that he wasn’t mistaken when he listed to a friend, according to whom great fortune lied in South Serbia, which made him purchase the mine. In addition to resuming the operation of the mine, Mr. Bogicevic said that considerable investments would be made in development of cattle-breeding and milk production in the region.

Blagoje Spasovski, Director of RTB Bor, thanked Miroslav Bogicevic and the Serbian government for regenerating the “Lece” mine and added that 3.5 million euros would be invested in the first phase in reconstruction of the mine, while another 6 million euros would be invested in the construction of a state-of-the-art flotation unit, for which the best workers would be hired. 3,250 tons of lead, 450 tons of gold, 3,100 kg of silver and 6,200 tons of zinc will be produced at the “Lece” mine per annum. These raw materials won’t be exported but would be used in the country for manufacturing finished products.