About 1.6 million to Montenegro for the development of smart agriculture within the SATECON project
A ceremonial conference was held at the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor, which, in the presence of partners and officials from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, marked the start of the implementation of the project called Smart AgriTech Connect (SATECON - Smart, Innovative and Sustainable Agriculture) within the framework of the Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Montenegro 2021-2027.
The aim of the project is to increase the competitiveness of agricultural producers and two units of the University of Montenegro - the Institute of Marine Biology and the Biotechnical Faculty, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, are participating in it.
The total value of the project is 6.4 million euros, and Montenegrin partners have around 1.6 million at their disposal for the implementation of the activities, of which 85% are grants from the European Union.
"Agricultural producers in our region, especially small ones, still rely heavily on traditional production methods. At the same time, climate change, limited resources and increasing market demands pose a challenge for domestic farmers to remain competitive. The SATECON project is tasked with developing strategies and tools that will enable the introduction of smart solutions in agriculture and accelerate the transition to sustainable production models," said State Secretary at the Ministry of European Affairs Biljana Papović.
She emphasized that she is proud that Montenegrin partners will make a strong contribution to this project.
"The University of Montenegro will be responsible for the development, testing and integration of smart agricultural technologies in the fields of fruit growing, viticulture, olive growing, livestock farming and innovative production in mariculture. There is also the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, which will play an important role in shaping joint strategies and action plans so that smart agriculture becomes an integral part of development policies in the region," said Papović, expressing the expectation that the project will pave the way for a more resilient and competitive agricultural sector, based on modern knowledge, innovation and technology.
Through this strategic project, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Montenegro will acquire valuable equipment for technology packages, which introduce smart agricultural technologies in relevant areas, in order to improve the process of data collection, analysis, monitoring and application of precise agricultural practices, such as drones, smart agricultural measuring devices for livestock production, pheromone traps and agrometeorological stations.
In addition to the partners from Montenegro, the project is implemented by: the Faculty of Electronics and Computing, University of Zagreb as the lead partner, the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republika Srpska, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Banja Luka, the Faculty of Agronomy and Food Technology, University of Mostar, and the Agro-Mediterranean Faculty, University "Džemal Bijedić" in Mostar.
SATECON is one of three strategic projects implemented with the support of the Interreg IPA program Croatia - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Montenegro 2021-2027.