Association “Moja Srbija” Requests Distribution of Vouchers for Purchase of Local Goods by Small Producers

The “Moja Srbija” association has called on the Government of Serbia to accept the initiative for launching the campaign of the distribution of vouchers for the purchase of local products by small producers. The association also invited all the participants in the upcoming parliamentary election to support that proposition, the announcement says.

As the initiative says, there are numerous agricultural properties in Serbia which can produce natural and high-quality local products, and the majority of them is in rural areas or undeveloped village areas.

By setting aside funds from the budget of Serbia for the subsidized purchase of their products, the development of those areas would be launched, which would lead to an increased interest of young people for living and working in those areas, thereby mitigating the rural population drop and the process of villages shutting down in Serbia, the initiative says.

The subsidy, as pointed out, would be based on the positive experiences of the campaign of the distribution of tourism vouchers, which has increased the turnover in local tourism multiple times over the past nine years.

– The only true way to develop our economy in the long term is to incite local production based on own resources – said the president of the “Moja Srbija” association, Milan Ristic.

He added that the organic products and the high-quality local products by small producers were in increasing demand in the world and that the low purchasing power in Serbia was a barrier to the development of this market.

He pointed out that, in small producers, the production of local products was based on a nearly 100% use of local resources, from the raw ingredients, to the packaging and the transport. As he emphasized, all the money that is directed toward their subsidizing would thereby remain in Serbia and return to the state budget very shortly.

– We are convinced that the implementation of said advantages would lead to a considerable growth of this type of production, which, as was the case in local tourism, would lead to an increased interest of the diaspora and an additional demand for these products – Ristic concluded.

By launching the campaign of the distribution of vouchers for the purchase of local products by small producers, the conditions would be created for young people in rural areas to be able to work and earn, allowing them to stay and live in their birth places, the announcement says.

As added, the citizens of Serbia would be enabled to buy larger quantities of the desired local products, a market of quality products of small producers would develop, which would eventually result in including our diaspora and in an increased export, and the state budget would not suffer great expenditures, because all the invested funds would remain circulating in Serbia and they would quickly return to the state budget through taxes and contributions.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Moja Srbija Beograd

Government of Serbia

Moja Srbija association

Milan Ristić

vouchers

small producers

parliamentary election

agricultural properties

budget

tourism vouchers

organic products