President tours Lozionica: "They would execute a pastry shop owner just because I went there!"

Photo: Tanjug/Milos Milivojevic

President Aleksandar Vucic was today in Belgrade touring Lozionica (a creative industries, digitalization and innovation center), when he visited wine, beer and spirits producers' stands, on the occasion of them receiving incentives and subsidies from the state of Serbia.

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Vucic will be attending a ceremony of handing over the documents to this effect, a part of the program to encourage development of processing capacities in the wine, beer and spirits production sector, the presidential press service announced earlier.

Vucic visited the stands and talked with exhibitors, asking what they were exporting and if they were able to find a market for their products.

The subsidies in question amount to 5 million-dinar grants from the state and 5 million loans for each of the recipients, intended for improvement of the manufacturing process and infrastructure.

From the stage, the president personally handed over the documents to each of the producers who arrived from all parts of Serbia.

"I wish you happy work! There is one important thing, a good portion of the vineyards, even in Bordeaux (region), is now being cleared and destroyed because they want to keep only the biggest wines (brands) since there's no market, it's getting harder and the problem is getting bigger, for them - we are neither increasing nor reducing the vineyards, the work of winegrowers is difficult, they work 11 months a year, it's important for us to find new markets, and China is an ideal opportunity," said Vucic.

"For us, China is of great importance, because how are you going to enter the French or the Italian market... the biggest producers are France, Italy, the US, Chile... You can't export to Muslim countries... Everyone is fighting for the Chinese market because it's big, but it's not easy there either as it's a picky market," he said.

Vucic also explained that Serbia imports wine bottles from Moldova and Ukraine, and only 20 percent come from the Serbian glass factory in Paracin, since our prices are high, and added that when wages increase, that product also becomes more expensive, and our wages are much higher.

"Our people are getting better and better at designing our products. What sells best for you? Plum (brandy)?," the president asked one producer, and added, "Some foreigners came the other day and wanted brandy, we said, we have quince, various others kinds... and they said plum, that's real brandy!"

About Novi Sad visit

"I was in Petrovaradin at 1 o'clock, at lunch time, and that's morning for them?! And if I had come after dark, they would have said, (I came) under cover of the night... I deal with more serious matters, I can't answer those questions, it shows what they would be like if they were in power, if I went to a pastry shop, they would execute the owner," Vucic said of his political opponents and critics.

(Telegraf.rs)