 Popovka Cooperative, Trebinje
The Popovka Cooperative is based in Trebinje in south east BiH and was formed in 2002 and has a focus on the development of vegetable, fruit and medicinal and aromatic herbs on land owned by its members. The cooperative applied for and received a Community Grant in the value of 39,020 KM for various tractor attachments including a bottom plough, a double furrow plough, a 180 centimeter cultivator with joint, tractor mower, hay collector, hay-baler, pneumatic sowing machine, planting machine, potato planter with fertilizer, digger, a 24 disc harrow, an industrial produce scale delivered in and a manure "injector" delivered in December 2004. Although the cooperative did not receive the assistance in time for the cultivation of land for production during the summer of 2004 they organized the provision of autumn plowing services producers and netted a profit of approximately 7,000 KM.
The marketing efforts of the Cooperative have proved successful with the signing of two sales contracts with a processor called 'Vitaminka' from Banja Luka, that will purchase peppers and Roing from Ljubuški in Herzegovina that will buy aromatic and medicinal herbs. The peppers and herbs will be produced by Cooperative members on their own land and technical assistance for members will be provided by experts engaged by the buyers. Currently, Popovka has two employees the director and tractor operator and in the spring 2005 they plan to employ an administrator and a second tractor operator. In return for the assistance received from UMCOR, Popovka is obliged to repay in kind 12% of the total value of approved grant through provision of free of charge services for land cultivation to its members. Repayment will begin in April 2005.
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Updated July 2005
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