Through its Rural Development Program, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy will help four institutions of higher education equip their food science, testing, and technology laboratories. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food; the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; the Tetovo Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition; and the Veles Faculty of Technology will receive a total of EUR 600,000.

“Everyone bows to the czar, and the czar bows to the teacher,” Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Arianit Hoxha said prior to the signing of the memorandums of cooperation with the four faculties.

The grants, Minister Hoxha highlighted, are part of the state’s long-term investment into the agriculture sector so it can provide abundant, high quality crops.

“This is the first bridge built between the ministry and institutions of higher education,” Hoxha said, “in several decades. Today, we’re renewing our partnership. Our Rural Development Program sees clearly the significance of scientific research and its application in agriculture.

“When creating this program, we were guided by the need to build a sustainable system of food manufacturing and safety, supported by science and professional expertise.

“Our ultimate goal is to meet European food safety, quality, monitoring, and health standards.”

According to the Agriculture Minister, every farmer needs to have access to information on the latest trends in agriculture.

“Our goal is the EU, and to get there we need to educate our farmers and initiate cooperation at all levels, including institutions and scholars,” he said.

The signatories said they would also use the funding to launch new research projects and initiate collaboration with their colleagues worldwide through exchange programs.

They added that good practices in production and implementing international standards were essential for producing high quality, competitive agricultural products.