January 22 (SeeNews) - The European Commission has adopted a 175 million euro ($203.4 million) six-year program in support of Serbia's rural sector, the EU delegation in Serbia said on Thursday.
The main objectives of the program are to increase food-safety in Serbia and improve competitiveness of the agro-food sector as well as to help the country progressively align with EU standards, the delegation said in a statement.
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The funds will be offered in the form of grants to Serbian rural stakeholders to co-finance appropriate investments up to a maximum public contribution of 70% of eligible expenditure. This should lead to a total investment in the sector of approximately 400 million euro.
The program will ensure grants for Serbian farmers producing milk, meat, fruit and vegetables and other crops while also supporting organic farming, the implementation of local development strategies and farm diversification.
The EU formally opened accession talks with Serbia in January 2014.
($=0.8605 euro)