REPRESENTATIVES OF THE LOCAL ADMINISTRATION IN ROŽAJE HELD A MEETING WITH BUSINESSMEN

How the local administration can help businessmen in order to create a better economic environment and strengthen this economic branch, was the topic of the meeting organized by the local Business Center in cooperation with the local administration.

The president of the municipality of Rožaje, Ejup Nurković, presented the work of the local administration this year, where he specifically referred to the implementation and started projects and what the local administration was doing to create a better economic environment. While reminding that the Rožaj municipality has been at the very back in Montenegro for a long time in terms of economic development, Nurković said that the local government is doing everything to empower businessmen and encourage the creation of new jobs.

Through the investment rehabilitation program supported by the Government, the local administration took a loan of 3.5 million, from which we returned about one million euros of obligations to businessmen in the municipality. In this way, I hope, we refreshed the budgets of business collectives in order to overcome the problems - said Nurković, who offered businessmen the business premises of former factories, such as Dekor, Titeks, Roteks, Buteks, Gornji Ibar and others.

- The local administration is ready to pay rent in those factories for good projects to businessmen who would have the intention of increasing the number of employees in their companies - said Nurković.

He reminds that the local government, as an incentive for new employment in the economy, has set aside around 116,000 euros from the budget for subsidizing new employment in the form of tax payments and contributions to companies that have created new jobs. Nurković said that 25 companies applied for that program and that 38 people got jobs in this way.

Nurković called on businessmen to work on creating new jobs, stressing that very few people are employed in that sector.

Only about 300 workers are employed in about a hundred economic enterprises, which is truly incredible considering the resources we have at our disposal. These data show that our Municipality is in the last place in terms of the number of employees in this sector - said Nurković.

At the meeting, issues that burden the economy of Rožaj were highlighted. There was talk about the export of logs from Montenegro, that is, from that municipality. An appeal was sent from the meeting to the Government and relevant ministries to stop the export of logs or to allow only the export of market surplus. They believe that in this way companies dealing with final wood processing would be strengthened, and that more jobs could be created. They also believe that through taxes and contributions, the municipality and the state would benefit from this work.

Businessmen accepted the initiative to form a business council that would be a link between them, local administration and government departments in solving problems in companies.

The audience was addressed by Božo Bulatović, director of Interfood 35, a company that successfully processes forest fruits and medicinal plants. Bulatović said that the past year was not very favorable to them, but that even in such circumstances they managed to export goods worth 2.8 million euros, and that the company's stocks are worth over a million euros. Bulatović said that he has 32 permanent employees and that during the season he employs up to a hundred workers. He pointed out that the company is facing the problem of quality workforce.