At its meeting today, the Committee on Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning held a consultative hearing on the Proposal for the Law on Olive Growing.

The hearing was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnical Faculty and associations of olive growers and olive oilproducers: Olive Growers Association -Bar, Olive Society "Boka", Association of Olive Growers -Ulcinj, Olive Growers Association -Budva, Olive Society "Valdanos" and Olive Society "Ana Malit."  

During several hours of discussion, representatives of olive growers and olive oil producers expressed a number of complaints in relation to the title and subject of the Proposal for the Law, protection of Valdanos area as natural and cultural resource of general interest. They announced that the Law on Olive Growing must be preceded by a comprehensive Law on agricultural land, which would clearly resolve whether the Valdanos area is agricultural or construction land. Also, they pointed out that the Proposal for the Law does not regulate the cultivation, care and harvest of olives.  

Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stressed that the Proposal for the Law on Olive Growing is adjusted with very demanding standards of the EU acquis, which was the intention of the proposers of the law.

Chairperson of the Committee Predrag Sekulić, concluding the discussion, said that the Committee at the 28th meeting proposed to the Parliament to adopt the Proposal for the Law on Olive Growing and that there are opportunities to modify the proposed solutions through amendments.