The Harghita County Council has the opportunity to popularize the Sekler Product movement, launched in 2009, with an over 144 thousand euro project, through its subsidiary institution, the Harghita County Chamber of Agriculture, as well as the goals of the EU’s Common Agricultural policies. 19 other similar projects were financed in the EU, the 50% of the amount was provided by the Harghita County Council, the other 50% by the Directorate General of the Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission.
The European Union wishes to support the sustainable evolution of the agriculture and the revival of the rural economy through its common agricultural policies.
The county council has already successfully competed in the previous years to popularize the goals of the Common Agricultural Policies. In the framework of the financed projects, in 2010 140 sheep and goat owner signed up for a course regarding the processing and selling of sheep and goat milk. On the course organized the same year with the topic of processing and selling cow milk 213 cow owners took part. The informative events were continued by the county council with courses on cheese, and on traditional sekler meet processing.
The result of the informational and practical presentations was the development of the Harghita cheese specialty, the production of which is set by well-defined criteria by the county’s cheese producers. In the same time the Association of Rural and Community Development managed to register the Hargita sajt (Harghita Cheese) as a brand.
Besides all these Csaba Borboly, the president of the Harghita County Council, as the member of the Committee of the Regions lobbied successfully in the interest of developing rural farmlands. The Committee of the Regions accepted Csaba Borboly’s amendment at their plenary session in April, that suggests that those agricultural products that are prepared out of traditional ingredients and are produced with a process that is specific to the certain region should be handled with special attention (the statements in this regard can be read on the Harghita County Council’s website). The Committee of the Regions accepted another amendment in February, on the 116th plenary session, with the topic of Innovation and Modernization in Rural Farmlands, the amendment can be studied in detail on Csaba Borboly’s website.
The rights to the use of the Székelytermék trademark was won by almost 100 producer by today, for nearly 700 products, and the Harghita County Council provides continuous sales-opportunities for these products. In this year’s May the Monthly Fair of Traditional and Local Products was organized for the sixth time. A few days ago those who were interested had the chance to taste what the Székely termékek had to offer in Brussels in the framework of the European Open Days, in which our county was a preferred participant for the fourth time.
About the agricultural support of the Harghita County Council one can read more details in the 8 year reports (http://hargitamegye.ro/upload/public/beszamolo/03_AgrariumTamogatasa.pdf).
You can read more about the Székely termék movement on the community website (https://www.fb.com/szekelytermek.ro).
31th of May, 2016, Miercurea Ciuc
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