The development of the agriculture and food processing sectors represents one of the biggest priorities of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia. For this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy is leading the implementation of the ambitious World Bank-funded “Agriculture Modernization Project (AMP)”, a loan of EUR 46 million with the purpose to improve the competitiveness of North Macedonia’s agriculture sector and to strengthen public institutions in the framework of the country’s accession process to the European Union.

 One of the main loan interventions is the development of a brand new agri-food platform in the suburban area of Skopje, which should become the focal point for the organization of fresh food aggregation, marketing, and distribution systems in the county, serving as a connector to different cool and conditioning centers. It will allow small-holders to access the market (HORECA, open air markets, and small retailers), while for the main sector operators (wholesalers, exporters, hyper and supermarkets), it will allow an optimization of their activities through new synergies and economies of scale.

The new facility will include a wholesale market for fresh food products, a logistics area offering dry or cold warehousing for market participants, an administrative area, a technical area dedicated to the reception of all technical support activities, and a waste sorting point.

In this context, a joint venture led by IRD Engineering and with the important participation of AGT S.p.A. and the Civil Engineering Institute “Macedonia” JSC, have just signed a new contract aiming at the provision of consulting and engineering services for the site selection, urban planning, feasibility study, and the schematic and detailed design of the planned Agri-Food Platform in Skopje area (Gazi Baba Municipality).

The contract was signed at the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, by the Minister, Mr. Ljupcho Nikolovski and by the Country Manager of IRD Engineering, Mr. Darko Spiroski, in the presence of representatives of the Project Implementation Unit and the joint venture partners.

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