The countries of the southwestern Balkans have quality traditional producers of fruits and vegetables, but their holdings are very fragmented, and the level of technology and digitalization is generally low.
In such a situation, they have difficulty accessing the main distribution chains of fruits and vegetables in Western markets, it was heard at the regional online conference on the use of digital, information technologies and innovations (ICT) in agriculture.
The event, which brought together more than 80 participants from Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, discussed the application of ICT innovations in regional agriculture and their impact on further development.
– ICT solutions that leading companies have started to apply, lead to the consolidation of the sector and the association of a larger number of smaller producers, and the use of modern software achieves traceability and security of the food supply chain, which foreign buyers insist on – it was said.
It is also the conclusion that the use of precision agriculture, enabled by modern machines, drones, and GIS / GPS technologies, is becoming more accessible on smaller farms, which optimizes production processes and leads to savings, environmental protection and greater competitiveness of producers.
The conference was organized by USAID’s Regional Project for Economic Development, Governance and Enterprise Growth in cooperation with USAID’s Competitive Economy Project from Serbia, Kamatica reports.
