Prishtina, 16 October, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the opening of the AGROKOS International Fair, the fair with a 24-year tradition, which not only connects businesses and products with consumers, but creates a strong bridge between theory and practice for students and the young people.
The Prime Minister said that as the Government, in cooperation with various partners that support the development of agriculture, food processing and beverage production, Kosovo is becoming more and more attractive for investors.
According to him, investments from the Government’s strategic projects, combined with other supporting factors, are leading us to a promising future. As supporting factors, he singled out the institutional stability of the country, the average economic growth of 6.2% on average in the last three years, the proximity to Western European markets, the development of infrastructure projects in the transport sectors, the progress of sectors such as agriculture, food processing and information technology, large, talented and multilingual youth, as well as cheap electricity and the absence of customs duties on raw materials and production machinery.
The importance of this fair, according to Prime Minister Kurti, must have been the role of agribusiness in the professional development of students and young people.
“When education and business collaborate, miracles happen: students gain valuable practical skills, while businesses gain fresh ideas and new sources of work. Today, agribusiness is no longer just a traditional field; innovation, digitization and artificial intelligence are fundamentally changing the way agriculture progresses”, he declared.
The inclusion of women in agribusiness is another important aspect, Prime Minister Kurti said, because our women are excellent entrepreneurs and through their small businesses, they not only strengthen the local economy, but create sustainable development in rural areas.
In the end, Prime Minister Kurti invited everyone to use this fair to create new connections, share ideas and explore opportunities for further cooperation. He described the AGROKOS fair as a good example of how business, education and innovation can cooperate to build a bright future for Kosovo.
In this fair, Prime Minister Kurti was accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Faton Peci and Deputy Minister Imri Demelezi.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister in the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Besnik Bislimi, and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Faton Peci,
Dear Mr. Bekim Xhafa, Director of the CEO, who is not stopping for a year working for the local business so that the products of our country but also of other countries are as much as possible affirmed in the Republic of Kosovo for more quality and for more a lot of economic development and trade exchanges,
Dear Ambassadors of the Republic of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Charge d’Affaires from Montenegro,
Dear attendees,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a special pleasure for me that today we are together at the Agrokos Fair, where agribusiness, education and technology come together to create new development opportunities for our country. This fair not only connects businesses with consumers, not only connects products with citizens, but creates a strong bridge between theory and practice for students who, of course, as young people, today are the leaders of tomorrow and what better place than let’s meet right here in the hall of October 1 belonging to the university campus.
In the framework of this vision, as the Government, in cooperation with various partners, including dozens of economic chambers and organizations, in which case we also have the one from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Jashar Spahiq, from them we expect to advance with new ideas and experiences in terms of supporting agriculture, food processing and beverage production, making farmers the center of economic progress and making Kosovo more and more attractive for investors. . With a young and dynamic population, our country has the potential to become a regional center for investments, including the agricultural sector.
To realize this potential, we have prioritized strategic projects, such as the construction of water dams, to create large irrigation systems that enable private sector investments in the construction of greenhouses. These investments, combined with other supporting factors, are leading us to a promising future, and let me mention a few factors:
1. It is the institutional stability of our country, accompanied by the strengthening of democracy and the rule of law. Investors seek stability and predictability because they are vital for efficiency and sustainability, therefore Kosovo has built a strong base in this direction.
2. The other is the average economic growth of 6.2% on average in recent years, which proves a solid and positive trend of economic progress.
3. Furthermore, we have our proximity to the markets of Western Europe, which offers tremendous opportunities for trade and investment.
4. We have the development of infrastructure projects in the transport, environment and energy sectors, which are key for a sustainable economy.
5. Continue the progress of sectors such as agriculture, food processing and information technology, which are contributing as engines of economic growth.
6. A large, talented and multilingual youth, which, combined with the expertise and support of our giant diaspora, constitutes a strong basis for further development.
7. And free electricity and the absence of customs taxes for raw materials and production machinery.
Undoubtedly, all these factors are in our favor and Kosovo is therefore increasingly positioned as a main destination for regional and international investments. Therefore, it is not strange and not at all accidental that in these three and a half years exports have doubled and foreign investments have more than doubled.
An important topic that is being discussed at this fair is the role of agribusiness in the professional development of students and young people. When education and business collaborate, miracles happen: students gain valuable practical skills, while businesses gain fresh ideas and new sources of work. Today, agribusiness is no longer just a traditional field; innovation, digitization and artificial intelligence are fundamentally changing the way agriculture progresses.
And this brings us to an interesting fact: technology and agriculture are often thought of as two different worlds, but in reality, they are coming together to bring about even greater advances. Technology is helping to increase production, save resources and develop sustainable practices. In the near future, farmers in Kosovo will sow their seeds, not by hand, but with an app, or even calculate their yield, no longer with shovels, but with a click. Information technology and agriculture will rarely cooperate in any other field in the coming months and years, therefore, in addition to being interested, we must also be very ready for this important next step.
Another important aspect is the involvement of women in agribusiness. Our women are excellent entrepreneurs and through their small businesses, they not only strengthen the local economy, but create sustainable development in rural areas. The panel focusing on economic empowerment and gender equality is an excellent opportunity to discuss how we can support these efforts.
In conclusion, I want to invite everyone to use this fair to create connections, contacts, communications, new collaborations, to share ideas and explore opportunities for further cooperation. Agrokos Fair is a good example of how business, education and innovation can collaborate to build a bright future for Kosovo which is displayed for all citizens and guests to see and experience without distinction.
Thank you for your participation and I hope that this fair brings great results both for you individually and for your business and family, as well as for the agribusiness sector in general in Kosovo!
Thank you!
Last modified: October 17, 2024