On 12 October 2017, the Kosovo Manufacturing Club organized a high level conference with the main aim of intensifying the public-private dialogue to improve the relationship between local producers, processors and retail chains.

Addressing the conference participants, the Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj stated that the government he leads is intent on finding “instruments that will place local producers at an equal situation with the producers from the region and beyond.”

Jointly with the President of the Kosovo Manufacturing Club Astrit Shabani, Prime Minister Haradinaj signed a Memorandum establishing the Office of Producers under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The second part of the conference focused on an in-depth presentation of the findings and recommendations of the research study “Producers-Retailers Relationships” conducted by the Riinvest Institute, and commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The main aim of this study is to assess the prevailing issues in Kosovo between retail chains and local producers/processors, with special emphasis on the food processing sector, and recommend effective measure to prevent unfair commercial practices that may impair the local producers.