BELGRADE (Serbia), November 14 (SeeNews) – Serbia plans to set up a hub for the export of honey in the municipality of Raca to reduce the dependence of beekeepers on intermediate dealers, according to local media reports.
Raca municipality, in central Serbia, plans to invest 30 million dinars ($261,667/243,566 euro) in the project, which will also receive direct state aid, donations and a credit line, bringing the total sum to some 650,000 euro ($698,048), daily Politika quoted the president of the Serbian beekeeping association SPOS, Rodoljub Zivadinovic, as saying on Friday.
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The hub will offer beekeepers fixed monthly instalments for the sale of their produce or direct cash transfers at the moment when the honey is sold. In this way, beekeepers would not be obliged to sell the honey at a loss, pressured by the need to ensure funding for honey storage and hive care during the winter months, Zivadinovic explained.
The construction of the honey export hub will begin next year, Politika quoted the president of Raca municipal council as saying.
In addition to honey storage equipment, the complex will have a laboratory for quality control, sanitary block and facilities for workers and veterinarians. The honey will be exported in metal drums, in 1 kg jars or small packages of 25 grammes for usage in hotels.
The Serbian government plans to pay subsidies worth 420 million dinars to beekeepers by the end of November, or 100 million dinars above plan, according to data posted on the SPOS website.
(1 euro=123.197 dinars)