Dear Friends and Partners,

We probably lost accurate count of how many days we have been practicing social distance. We do not know how many more such days we are facing. In the meantime, we realize that the tools which will help us go through this together are empathy and solidarity, especially with the most vulnerable and facing higher risk.

Meeting immediate food needs – especially nutritious food – for people is one of the key concerns right now. This means ensuring continuity and security of vegetable production in Kosovo, both for the market and food processors.

The news from our partners in the food and natural ingredients sector have been positive and encouraging.

• Less than a year from launching its operations, the first specialized vegetable seedling producer in Kosovo – Agrobora – is ready to disseminate the first 400,000 seedlings to its 25 contracted large green-house owning farmers across 9 regions in Kosovo.

The new specialized seedling facility is co-financed by Agrobora and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), through the Promoting Private Sector Employment (PPSE) project.

• Another specialized nursery – Fidanishtja e Godancit – has reached an agreement with the collection center Agrocelina and PPSE, based on which PPSE will stimulate the farmers contracted through the collection center Agrocelina by covering €0.03 per each of the 200,000 cucumber seedlings. The remaining amount shall be covered by Agrocelina and farmers.  

This nursery also has ready 400,000 seedlings for cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins and onions are ready for distribution to 30 large greenhouse owners and 2,000 smaller individual farmers.

With the lockdown across the globe, the tourism and travel industry has received a heavy blow.

• The PPSE team prepared this week a paper on the Economic Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospitality Sector in Kosovo. The paper has been sent to the Ministry of Finance and Transfers in Kosovo, to support their planning on economic mitigation measures for this important sector of the economy. 

To end on a truly positive note, this week our team received great news from the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development. Following an audit of our results measurement system in compliance with the DCED standard, they congratulated us for a very successful conclusion. The best motivation to continue onwards and upwards.

Stay safe and be well,

PPSE Team, Kosovo