ZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) - Croatia should establish a SAPARD (SpecialAccession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development ) Agencywithin the Ministry of Agriculture by the end of the year so that itcan start using 25 million euros
from the European Union's SAPARDFund, government officials said last week while presenting the SAPARDprogramme for Croatia at the Autumn International Trade Fair inZagreb.
ZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) - Croatia should establish a SAPARD
(Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development ) Agency
within the Ministry of Agriculture by the end of the year so that it can start
using 25 million euros from the European Union's SAPARD Fund, government
officials said last week while presenting the SAPARD programme for Croatia at
the Autumn International Trade Fair in Zagreb. SAPARD is an EU
pre-accession fund supporting agricultural reform in candidate countries and
their adjustment to the acquis communautaire in that field.
The aim of the programme is to strengthen the competitiveness of
agricultural producers from future member states on the common market and
provide support to local infrastructure in order to ensure better living
conditions in rural areas.
It is necessary to select several SAPARD areas as priorities, and the
Croatian Ministry of Agriculture has prioritised investment in farms, the
processing and marketing of agricultural and fishing products, and rural
infrastructure.