Round Table Held at the 86th Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad
At the 86th International Agricultural Fair, a round table was organised to discuss Innovations in Agriculture – a Way towards Sustainable Development. The round table was organised as part of the AGRINNO project “Agriculture Innovation towards Growth and Employment in Cross-Border Region. At the round table, the participants were addressed by Dr. Vuk Radojević, Provincial Secretary for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, Dr. Svetlana Belešević Tubić, Director of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Vidosava Enderić, Director of the European Affairs Fund of AP Vojvodina, Project Manager Predrag Rajić on behalf Provincial Secretariat for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, Dr. Janko Červenski from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops and Dr. Andjelko Mišković from GROW RASAD. Welcoming the crowded hall, Vuk Radojević, PhD said that the AGRINNO project was a challenge for everyone in the Secretariat. “Even in 2016, we transformed the challenge into one of the priority goals to become more actively involved in the Cross-Border Cooperation Programmes in order to provide EU funding”, stated the Secretary. The participants received a brief overview of successfully implemented AGRINNO project activities and announced the activities that were to be completed by the project end such as seminars in Hungary and the installation of modern greenhouses in three secondary schools in Futog, Ruma and Vršac. The AGRINNO project is planned to end in November 2019. Svetlana Belešević Tubić, PhD, Director of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops , pointed out that “in order to have a sustainable Serbian economy, it is necessary for the economy to be based on knowledge and innovation”. In addition to developing varieties and hybrids for users, the Institute’s mission was to educate and transfer knowledge in the field of technology. The Institute wants to demonstrate that it is necessary to maintain production especially when it comes to vegetable production, which is the biggest benefit of the AGRINNO project, i.e. opportunities for young people to stay in the countryside, produce and live well. Vidosava Enderić, Director of the European Affairs Fund of AP Vojvodina, emphasized that the project main goal was to acquire knowledge, but also its sustainability. Education in rural population, with the application of modern production, helps them to increase production in their own gardens, and thus,contributes to the growth of living standards. She also highlighted one of the roles of the Fund, which is the tendency to get closer and use as many grants as possible under the EU programmes available to us. A good example is the fact that the Fund is currently implementing 14 EU projects. The participants of this well-attended round table also included our partners from Hungary (Csongrád County), representatives of agricultural schools and incubators that were founded, among other things, through the project AGRINNO, as well as numerous other guests.
