At the beginning of the proceedings, Committee Chairman Marijan Risticevic informed the members of the Committee and the guests that the budget envisaged by the 2022 draft budget is one billion RSD less than the initial budget proposal for 2021. He went on to point out that the milk premiums were increased by three RSD and that the projected obligation for next year was increased by 2.5 billion RSD.

He pointed out that, before the 2022 Draft Budget enters into parliamentary procedure, the Committee members need to have their say and share suggestions with the Ministry of Finance, because if the redistribution of Budget funds remains as it is, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management will have to reduce some of the incentives heretofore enjoyed by agricultural producers.

Senad Mahmutovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, who took part in the sitting, agreed with the information presented by the Committee Chairman. He said that it is the Ministry of Finance which determines the allotments per beneficiary, which is the amount we have to work with, adding that the amount in question is not enough to implement the defined agricultural policy.

He went on to say that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management had sent a request to the Ministry of Finance for additional funds per defined positions, purposes and classifications, stressing that MPs can make a great contribution by submitting amendments to the 2022 Budget Proposal.

Assistant Director of the Directorate for Agrarian Payments Bojan Zivkovic said that about 6 billion RSD are needed to disburse the measures from the current year within direct payments, so that those funds are not transferred to next year.

Assistant Minister Nenad Katanic also spoke at the sitting.

After the ensuing discussion, the participants concluded that it would be useful to have a working meeting for Committee members and representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, to make sure additional funds are secured in the 2022 Budget Proposal for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Marijan Risticevic and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Sonja Todorovic, Velibor Stanojlovic, Tijana Davidovac, Goran Spasojevic, Goran Kovacevic, Stanislava Janosevic, Prof. Dr Ljubinko Rakonjac and Zarko Bogatinovic.