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Prijedor, Gradyška – Although cooperatives as a special form of agricultural producers are quite common in the domestic agricultural sector, this business model has not yet taken root in the field of fruit cultivation.
This topic is very popular now because the fruit harvest has begun and the harvest is abundant.
A positive example is the agricultural cooperative “Kooperativa” in Prijedor, which is based on the experience of colleagues in the Italian region of Trento, with which the municipality of Prijedor has successfully cooperated.
“Already with the initial idea of establishing a cooperative, we were careful not to repeat the mistakes of similar past initiatives. We set ourselves very clear goals,” emphasizes Radivoje Vujković, Director of the “Cooperative”. “Kooperativa” Prijedor supports its members and partners in two key areas.
These include sourcing raw materials and equipment for cooperatives, streamlining payment models, and providing support during the placement of the fruit.
Here they also focus on designing and implementing development projects. In this regard, the City of Prijedor and the Urban Development Agency “Preda” provide strong support.
“After harvesting and storing the fruit, the biggest problem arises, which is placement. When the harvest is good, like this year, placement is even more problematic,” said Dalibor Jović, one of the founders and member of the management board of the “Cooperative”.
They have also found solutions to this problem. These are fruit processing and juice production lines.
The Fruit Growers Association of Republika Srpska, based in Gradisca, said it was necessary to integrate project management, market research, marketing, branding, sales and many other elements of modern business into daily operations.
“The example of the cooperative in Prijedor is a success. We fruit growers in Republika Srpska need some kind of association. There are different approaches and different experiences. Together we can achieve more. It is necessary,” said Dragoja Dojčinović, president of the Association of Fruit Growers of the Republic of Serbia.
He noted that more and more fruit farmers are looking for alternatives to fruits that cannot be sold in their fresh state.
It is processed in small factories. The Prijedor initiative shows that cooperatives should be considered modern agricultural enterprises with a clear social role.
Successful but underappreciated
Petar Ninić, a master in agribusiness marketing from Novigrad, said there are a lot of special examples in the domestic agricultural sector that are not fully recognized.
“Due to the large supply of agri-products and services, often local agri-products and services of the highest quality remain in the shadows and do not have the opportunity to reach their full potential. The reason for this is a lack of awareness and willingness on the part of local producers to commit to branding and marketing their products, which is particularly important for agricultural cooperatives, which must commit to branding and marketing, all for the purpose of market positioning and sales.”
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