On June 20, USAID’s Agriculture Growth and Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Program gave another boost to several promising actors in the agriculture sector with three new grant signings.  The first grant will help LAB NGO provide support to 15 young farmers in the Hani i Elezit municipality to establish four new greenhouses with 500 m² for vegetable production; eight orchards with 0.2 ha for growing raspberries and strawberries; and three plantations for growing medical and aromatic plants (MAPs).  This grant furthers USAID’s efforts to prevent violent extremism by providing employment in high-growth sectors to unemployed youth in hot spots for radicalization.

A second grant will assist the blueberry and raspberry production company Santefruit in establishing a 100 m² precooling unit, expanding cultivation with an additional five hectares of blueberries, and hiring two agronomists to support the field staff and properly manage the orchards.

Finally, AGRO will provide the AGROSHALA – AG Company with pumpkin seed processing machinery and support to prepare the seeds for export.  AGROSGHALA works in cooperation with nine other farmers from three neighboring municipalities – Ferizaj, Vitia, and Shtime – and has planted 300 ha of pumpkins for seed in 2017.  The grantee plans to establish a collection and processing center as well.