Carnival for Local products

By Arta Pllana

Hello and Welcome. From the studios of UN Radio in Kosovo…

On cold winter mornings, the usual early silence in Mitrovica is broken by the sound of engines and car stereos, a result of lines of cars and trucks making their way to work each day. Last week, the cars were lined up in Mitrovica’s city center for another reason: Kosovo Business Week.

(Music is loud)

November 22 marked the start of a weeklong traveling business exhibition passing through different regions of Kosovo with the goal of promoting Kosovo’s domestic production.

Signs saying “Yes” to Kosovo products are prevalent at each stop; the business fair is organized by the Alliance for Kosovo Business or AKB, and the local economic think-tank, the Riinvest Institute.

Agim Shahini is the president of the AKB.

Agim Shahini

“This business fair was organized for the first time in Kosovo and I think with this we are going to make awareness in consumers to actually consume local products, because if we want sustainable budget, new jobs, if we want economically to develop then we have to use local products”

Some local marketing experts attending the opening-leg of the Business fair assert that local products have not yet reached certain quality standards. Prompting what one business owner said was a need for the Kosovo Business community to aggressively step up marketing of domestic products to increase sales.

One man from Mitrovica had this to say about promoting the sale of domestic products.

Vox pop

“I am satisfied with local products, because the imported stuff is not good; our products are better quality and I wish people to produce more and to have more jobs and everyone to be happy.”

At the stop in Pec/Peja, one local producer, Visar Kabashi, decided the business fair was the right opportunity to introduce and promote his products to the general Kosovo public. He says - buying locally is one way to create a sustainable Kosovo economy.

Visar Kabashi Manager ‘Vjosa’

‘I think that for local producers, activities like this one are welcomed - every time. Consumers should have a greater awareness in order to use and consume more local products. In a way the economy of Kosovo can develop if we support our own products’.

Business fair organizer, Riinvest released a report in 2004 citing educational development as a priority in building Kosovo’s future economy.

To this end, uniformed students from the Haxhi Kadri Prishtina Economics School were given practical demonstrations at the Mitrovica business fair. And, after a series of questions, the students revealed their involvement in a virtual exercise company called EkoRinia.

It is the first virtual computer company of it’s kind in Kosovo and is linked with 400 other exercise companies all over the world through Internet.

Fexhrije Salihu is the class instructor. She says students lack practical instruction on running a modern business – a void she hopes will be made up with such virtual businesses.

Fexhrije Salihu

“Everything functions in a real way, documentation, proposals, offers until the end when the merchandise is hand. Only the merchandise and money are virtual, fake”

With these sorts of initiatives, the Business Fair organizers are hoping that local products and local management techniques will help stimulate the needed mechanisms for thriving, internal markets.

Thanks for listening and stay tuned as UN Radio continues to explore the development of domestic economic initiatives.