UNMIK On Air

October 7 2003

Brothers in Fish

(By Valon A. Syla)

Hello, and welcome on UNMIK on air with Sputnik Kilambi and Martin Redi

LINK: Attempts to get inter-ethnic dialogue in Kosovo started appear to be an uphill task by and large, but there are areas where they are successful. Business ventures, for example, have managed to connect people together. Since partners in business stand to profit from their joint venture, there has to be trust, if not love, and a readiness for coexistence.

The village of Ajnovce sits snugly in the Kriva Reka valley, some seven kilometers north of Kamenica. This is mainly a farming community and at first glance, not particularly conducive for business.

But Naim Demolli and Dragoljub Gjorgjevic thought otherwise. Starting a fish farm in their village to revitalize the village economy was an idea they’ve had for a long time – now that idea has become reality.

Dragoljub Gjorgjeviq: The idea came to me after I was in Serbia and saw some of the fishing ponds there. So I decided to build a similar business back in Kosovo, because I owned valuable land by the river. The kind of fishing I planned to make available does not need a concrete pond, but simple natural conditions that the River of Kriva Reka amply possesses.”

Gjorgjeviq may have owned the land, but he did not have the cash to start up the business. Umpteen requests to umpteen organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, went unanswered he recalls.

Dragoljub Gjorgjeviq: I appealed to many organizations, some of them were not familiar with the business, whereas to others, the idea of opening a fish farm seemed very funny. I also did not know whom to address myself, until I saw Naim, one of my oldest friends who is also a fisherman.

Naim Demolli comes from Kriljevo village near Kamenica. He was unemployed when he met Gjorgjevic and was offered this business opportunity. Naim was skeptical initially, but his attitude changed after a trip to Vojvodina.

Naim Demolli: Together with Dragoljub we were in Vojvodina and we saw their fish farms that were quite profitable. I was convinced that the idea of having our own fish farm back in Kosovo would work, and now we have a 50 acre fish pond”.

Naim invested around 8000 € in the 50-acre fish farm - this included extensive digging and building the necessary infrastructure. Many types of fish are cultivated in the pond, including trout, Sharan and Carp as well as other little fish common to rivers in Kosovo.

Naim Demolli: I have caught a Sharan, this fish can grow up to one meter long, and can weigh around 30 kilograms. But their growth is slow, for example next year this small fish will only be around 2 kilogram.

The pond is also home to a large flock of ducks, which feed on fish that are either injured or sick – Naim says this is a good thing, since the ducks cannot catch healthy fish, but by feeding on the sick ones, they keep the pond clean.

In the meantime, buoyed by their success to date, Naim and Dragoljub have ambitious plans for the future. A shop in Kamenica to sell fresh fish is just one idea.

Dragoljub Gjorgjevic: I estimate that there are around five tons of fish in the pond, maybe more. The price that we plan to ask is 3 € per kilogram”.

Naim Demolli: “For the future we plan to expand the pond by another 30 acres and then build a restaurant on the river. (Edit) People have already heard about the pond and they are coming everyday asking to buy fish. I think that our idea has really taken shape and is exactly what he had planned.”

The fish farm is the first business that got off the ground solely due to self-initiative in the village of Ajnovce. It’s also proof that there are possibilities in Kosovo – provided one has the idea and the determination to make it work.

And that does it for this edition of UNMIK on air. Thanks for listening.