The construction of the House of Agriculture is set to commence soon in Pljevlja, with the project valued at approximately 1.8 million euros.

This announcement was made by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Vladimir Joković, following the signing of a contract today with the Tehnogradnja Consortium from Pljevlja and CEMA from Podgorica.

All activities will be carried out under the MIDAS 2 project, which is funded by the World Bank.

According to Joković, this will be the first agricultural house to be constructed in Montenegro, with an expected completion period of 12 months. The agricultural house in Pljevlja will offer about 800 square meters of usable space, housing various state and municipal institutions focused on agriculture.

“As we work towards joining the European Union, we need to establish six regional agricultural centers,” Joković stated.

Next week, Joković plans to sign a contract for the construction of another agricultural house in Berane.

“In Podgorica, once we relocate the Paying Agency—which is already in progress—an agricultural house will be established to serve Podgorica, Tuzi, Zeta, and Danilovgrad. We also aim to open an agricultural house in Bar, and currently, a call for project documentation has been issued,” said Joković.

He commended the strong cooperation with the Municipality of Pljevlja, which provided the construction site and waived the utility fees for the investor.

Joković mentioned that although the World Bank initially did not allocate funds for new agricultural houses, through his efforts, alongside those of colleague Gorica Radulović, they were able to negotiate a change in this stance.

“They typically required the adaptation of an existing state-owned building. Initially, we were offered a building in the city center; however, we insisted that an agricultural house should not be located there, and were ultimately able to pursue this project,” Joković remarked.

He emphasized that all these initiatives are aimed at improving the conditions for farmers significantly.

“We recall what Pljevlja once represented in the agricultural sector. The production of the renowned Pljevlja cheese and meat was substantial. Our goal is for this to return. The Government of Montenegro is doing everything possible, and we can assert that there has never been a more favorable environment for agriculture than there is now. We will strive to increase subsidies wherever possible, to encourage agricultural producers to remain on their farms and engage in more intensive agricultural practices. Displacement continues to be a major issue throughout northern Montenegro, particularly in rural regions,” Joković added.

He highlighted that every euro allocated by the Ministry for Pljevlja has been invested as intended, unlike the situation in some other municipalities.

The signing of the agreement was attended by the Mayor of the Municipality, Dario Vranes, State Secretary of the Ministry Krsto Radjenovic, Director of the Payments Directorate Marko Radonjic, and the manager of the MIDAS project Gorica Radulovic.

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