First Balkan Conference on Mechanical Circles New start for the Balkan farmers   A number of experts from the Western Balkan countries gathered at the First Balkan Conference on Mechanical Circles that took place on 19 and 20 October 2006 in Probistip to share their experiences. Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, the Project for Supporting the Farmers Associations from the Republic of Macedonia (SFARM), IFAD 2, GTZ-MAFP took part in the project, as well as representatives from the mechanical circles of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Hungary. The Conference covered the most important subjects referring to the organizing of the use of private mechanization: the importance of the agricultural mechanization cost reduction by means of cooperativeness in the agriculture; functioning and calculation of the service prices in the mechanical circle; introducing advanced agricultural processing on level of associations. They also presented the new agricultural mechanization from the “Simpeks” program from Bitola. The Project for Supporting the Farmers Associations from the Republic of Macedonia and its way for finding out structures for organizing the use of private machines, was the right way of organizing the mechanical circles. The cooperation between the mechanical circle from Slovenia and the Slovenian National Government in the legislation part was presented by Marjan Dolensek, director of the Mechanical Circle Association from Slovenia. “The Law on Agriculture (official gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 54/00) emphasizes the importance of the neighboring assistance, whereas the article 78, sets the goal (efficient use of the agricultural and forest mechanization, the work force and other production capacities) for setting up a mechanical circle and offers a legal framework for co-financing the Mechanical Circle’s work by public funds. The Law does not cover the question of taxation of the neighboring assistance”, said Dolensek. Slovenia, besides Hungary that managed to realize that only partially, is the only post-communist country that understood the importance of the neighboring assistance following the Western European model that has been functioning for over 40 years. The Farers’ Federation submitted a proposal-law to the Ministry of agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy regarding the mechanical circles, which is the same as the Slovenian Law on agriculture and rural development. The law is in the process of preparation. At the end of the Conference, the participants signed a Memorandum on Regional Cooperation between the mechanical circles from Macedonia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina. “The participants’ reactions were very positive”, said Nikolco Kolev, president of the Mechanical Circle from Probistip. “It is a new beginning for the Balkan farmers, a new beginning of our cooperation”, he adds. Participants at the conference agreed to hold the next meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The First Balkan Conference on Mechanical Circles is a small step towards building people’s mutual trust, especially between the farmers.   Mechanical Circle   “Mechanical Circle” is a farmers’ association from Probistip. Its participants are 156 individual farmers from Probistip, Sveti Nikole, Kratovo and Kriva Palanka. The mechanical circles are a special form of organizing the farmers with developed farming (mostly in Western Europe and Japan). The basic idea is most rational and most productive use of the farming machines. With such an approach to the problem of farming the land, the farmers were divided into two categories: those who take services and those who give services for the agricultural mechanization. With this division, those who give services, specialized only in certain operations so that the quality of services is at a highest level. By this maximum use of the mechanization, the price for the given services is lower. On the other hand, the recipients of the mechanical services can devote themselves to other problems regarding their production (inputs, placement of their products, etc) without being additionally burdened by their insufficiently used mechanization.    G. J.