TİKA Supports Rural Development in Kosovo

As a part of the “Program for Supporting Rural Development Investments in Kosovo”, inaugurations of the Project for Supporting the Goji Berry and Berry Fruit Producers Association in the village of Dobratin and the Project for Drying and Packaging of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Berry Fruits in the village of Donje Ljubinje were held by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).

Emilija Rexhepi, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Issue of Minorities and Human Rights; Sabri Tunç Angılı, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Prishtina; Mahmut Çevik, the Vice President of TİKA; Cihan Dinçer, TİKA’s Coordinator in Prishtina; Fikrim Damka, the Minister of Regional Development in Kosovo and the President of the Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo (KDTP), and representatives of Turkish institutions serving in the country participated in the opening ceremony of the projects.

Vice President Rexhepi, in their speech at the opening ceremony, expressed their gratitude towards the Republic of Türkiye for its support for Kosovo and said, “I am glad to be a part of this favourable project carried out for the welfare of all the citizens of Kosovo, especially of the Bosnian community.”

Stating that such projects will strengthen the friendship between Türkiye and Kosovo, Ambassador Angılı said, “TİKA carries out projects that touch every community in the fellow country, Kosovo, and try to improve their lives. We hope that this project of the agricultural cooperative will contribute to the development of the people of this village and Kosovo as a whole.”

TİKA’s Vice President Çevik indicated that their purpose of implementing such projects is to contribute to the economy of the families making a living from agriculture in the region and to ensure that they do not abandon their lands.

Expressing that they carry out such projects in order to overcome the problems of the farmers regarding sowing their own seeds and growing their products, Çevik said, “With the projects we carry out in every country in the region, all ethnic elements have integrity under the project. Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish, and Albanian societies are starting production together with agricultural projects. These projects are important in terms of intercultural dialogue and cultural activity as well as providing income for the family businesses.”

Within the scope of the project, the farmers of Kosovo were provided with various machinery supports such as a cold storage warehouse, a fruit crusher, a fruit dryer, and a plant processing building.