27
Sep
NIB signs agreement with Chemonics International on cooperation in FARMA project in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Chemonics International is an international development consulting company which implements a four-year project FARMA (Fostering Agricultural Markets Activity) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Project is financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Project is aimed at improving competitiveness of BiH agricultural producers and agricultural businesses including opening opportunities for export to EU. In the area of potato production this also requires proving the absence of quarantine potato diseases, brown and ring rot of potatoes.
Experts at NIB have longstanding experience in the field of plant pathogens detection. Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, headed by Maja Ravnikar, is involved in potato monitoring, conducted by Phytosanitary Administration and Phytosanitary Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia, from the very beginning. We regularly test potato samples and provide scientific and expert support. Our expertise is recognized at home and internationally, where we actively cooperate with partners in developing novel diagnostic methods, ring tests and proficiency tests and research of pathogens' biology. Increasingly we offer our expertise as cooperators, auditors and advisors to international organizations i.e. Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Commission and European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO).
Our expertise and professionalism has also been recognized by the FARMA project in BIH and Tanja Dreo, our specialist in plant bacterial diseases, has been contracted this year by Orgut, a Swedish consulting company which support Chemosnics International in implementation of FARMA, for assessment of phytosanitary laboratories in BIH and as advisor for further strengthening of their capacity.
Successful work led to today's signing of agreement between Chemonics International and NIB. On this occasion FARMA representatives, Meriha Manojlović, Partners Development Fund Manager, and Benjamin Torić, Deputy Chief of Party, visited NIB and our laboratories.
Cooperation goes on already at the end of the month when NIB organizes a practical course on laboratory methods used in potato monitoring for laboratory personnel from BIH.
Experts at NIB have longstanding experience in the field of plant pathogens detection. Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, headed by Maja Ravnikar, is involved in potato monitoring, conducted by Phytosanitary Administration and Phytosanitary Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia, from the very beginning. We regularly test potato samples and provide scientific and expert support. Our expertise is recognized at home and internationally, where we actively cooperate with partners in developing novel diagnostic methods, ring tests and proficiency tests and research of pathogens' biology. Increasingly we offer our expertise as cooperators, auditors and advisors to international organizations i.e. Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Commission and European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO).
Our expertise and professionalism has also been recognized by the FARMA project in BIH and Tanja Dreo, our specialist in plant bacterial diseases, has been contracted this year by Orgut, a Swedish consulting company which support Chemosnics International in implementation of FARMA, for assessment of phytosanitary laboratories in BIH and as advisor for further strengthening of their capacity.
Successful work led to today's signing of agreement between Chemonics International and NIB. On this occasion FARMA representatives, Meriha Manojlović, Partners Development Fund Manager, and Benjamin Torić, Deputy Chief of Party, visited NIB and our laboratories.
Cooperation goes on already at the end of the month when NIB organizes a practical course on laboratory methods used in potato monitoring for laboratory personnel from BIH.
Tamara Lah Turnšek, director of the National Institute of Biology, signing the agreement on further cooperation with Meriha Manojlović and Benjamin Torić, representatives of FARMA project.
Bacteriologist Tanja Dreo (left) has visited BIH's phytosanitary laboratories this year in advisory role to FARMA. Joined by Maida Hadžiomerović (middle), representative of FARMA, and Dragana Kovačić, bacteriologist from the Agricultural Institute of Republic of Srpska, Banja Luka (right).
