Possible channels of support for local beekeepers

With the support of the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship and the Secretariat for Finance and Local Public Revenues of the Municipality of Tivat, the consultative meeting of the President of the Municipality of Tivat Siniša Kusovac with Tivat beekeepers was held at the end of last week. The purpose of these meetings is to inform the businessmen of Tivat about all adopted and proposed measures of economic support of the Government of Montenegro and the Municipality of Tivat, but also to acquaint the local government with the challenges and problems faced by businessmen.

The members of the Tivat beekeepers' associations were addressed by the mayor and the secretary of the Secretariat for Finance and Local Public Revenues, Rajka Jovićević, who stated that all requests from beekeepers to the competent secretariat based on the municipal decision on incentives for agricultural development for 2020 were met. She also reminded that the Ministry of Agriculture announced public calls for the allocation of funds as a form of incentive measures for beekeepers. All interested registered beekeepers can contact the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship, to get the necessary suggestions and help on how to apply for these funds.

The president of the association, Branko Samardžić, addressed the audience in front of the Association of Tivat Beekeepers. He expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to discuss the problems and needs of beekeepers in this way and thanked the Municipality of Tivat and the competent Secretariat to meet the requirements of registered beekeepers. It could be heard from the members of the association that the biggest current problem is the fact that the current year is not honey-bearing and that the biggest challenge for all Tivat beekeepers is to feed the bee colonies in order for it to survive. In this sense, the Association will address the Municipality of Tivat and the competent Secretariat with an official request for subsidizing the necessary food and preparations.

Suggestions of beekeepers that the subsidy model based on the number of hives could be one of the future types of support were presented at the meeting. Also, beekeepers proposed the planned planting of honey plants in the municipality, which would directly affect the amount of honey produced. One of the requests of beekeepers is help with the purchase of a lawn mower, which would be used by members of beekeeping societies together.

The support of the Municipality of Tivat to the citizens and the economy through the adopted and proposed economic measures in 2020, and in order to overcome and mitigate the consequences of the epidemic, will amount to € 1,473,269.25.