Italian firm to lease more land for growing hazel trees

NEGOTIN - Italian company Rigoni di Asiagio is interested in leasing another 280 ha of agricultural land for organic hazelnut production in the area of Negotin, eastern Serbia.

President of the municipality of Negotin Jovan Milovanovic talked on Tuesday with Director General Andrea Rigoni, whose company leased 190 ha of land at the beginning of this year.

The Italian company is planning to build processing capacities which will be very significant for job creation, he said.

Milovanovic said in a statement to Tanjug that the Italian side would like to establish cooperative relations with local farmers in production of hazelnuts.

After the analysis of the leased land that is expected to take place in May, the planting of hazel trees will begin with seedlings that are being prepared in Bulgaria, where this company has its farms and processing capacities.