The agricultural budget for 2026 has not yet been announced, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management told Dan that the allocation of funds is still underway.
The ministry, led by Minister Vladimir Joković, did not answer questions about how much the draft state budget sets aside for the agriculture sector or what share of next year’s financial plan will come from European Union grants. More than a month ago, Joković stated that the 2026 agrobudget could exceed €100 million.
However, the president of the Agricultural Cluster, Boško Miličić, told Dan that an allocation of €100 million would not be sufficient to support the development of the sector.
“Without a significant increase in the agricultural budget, there can be no development of agriculture or the food industry, nor can we maintain the current level of production,” Miličić said.
He stressed that any agricultural budget amounting to less than five percent of the total national financial plan is inadequate for development projects.
Although farmers are dissatisfied with any allocation below this threshold, the additionally announced €30 million compared to this year’s €70 million agrobudget would be “somewhat better, but still insufficient,” he added.
“This is not a development-oriented budget. These are not funds on which you can base long-term planning. Instead of progressing year after year, we continue to fall behind,” Miličić emphasized.
He explained that due to the agrobudget issue, the Agricultural Cluster has scheduled a protest of agricultural producers for Friday at noon in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.
“The protest is being organized due to growing dissatisfaction with the current state of agriculture, inadequate institutional support, and the continuous decline of domestic production,” Miličić said.
In the protest announcement, he stated that farmers are demanding protection of domestic products and equal market conditions, more efficient institutions, and greater support for rural areas. He reminded that according to the agricultural census, the average age of farmers in Montenegro is 59, and the current approach to agriculture does not ensure that young people remain in rural communities.
Milko Živković, president of the Union of Livestock Farmers of Northern Montenegro, said that one must keep in mind that only a small portion of the planned agrobudget actually reaches farmers. Even if Minister Joković’s announcement of an increase of around €30 million comes true, it would still be insufficient for meaningful support and development.
“What does €100 million really mean? Does that figure represent actual state budget funds, or does it—as is the usual practice—include donations and external funding? That makes a big difference. When allocating funds for agriculture, we must consider the fact that Montenegro has limited agricultural potential. This automatically increases the state’s obligation to acknowledge this reality and allocate subsidies accordingly,” Živković said.
