DODIK: ISRAELI EXPERTS WILL HELP DEVELOP AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM

TEL AVIV, SEPTEMBER 17 /SRNA/ - President Milorad Dodik said that at today's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was agreed that a team of Israeli experts would come to Republika Srpska and help develop a comprehensive agricultural program that would include irrigation, cultivation, sorting, and preparing products for the market.

"It is a team of experts from a prestigious agricultural institute who deal not only with irrigation but also with crop cultivation. They know how to assess how much water each plant needs and the climatic conditions under which it should be grown, and this is something they have already implemented here," Dodik told reporters in Tel Aviv.

Dodik said that the financial framework for the program would also be defined.

"We are ready to commit to a major financial framework and see how we can bring this to completion. Republika Srpska has a low level of debt, and it is perfectly reasonable for us to focus on providing support for such capital projects through the Government's support," Dodik said.

He pointed out that Israel provides incentives to its exporting companies.

"They have a government-backed guarantee fund for banks and companies. We will also find a framework along those lines to put together such a financing arrangement," Dodik said.