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http://www.mercycorps.org/news/press268.html

September 20, 1999
 
Mercy Corps Prepares for Winter in Kosovo

Bread is the basic food staple of Kosovo and because of this Mercy Corps has made its winter wheat seed program it top agricultural priority.
The winter wheat seed program will fully kick into action next week when seed and fertilizer distribution begins. Warehouses are being stocked and field plowing has already begun in preparation for the distribution.
Starting next Thursday, 50 metric tons of seed and 50 metric tons of fertilizer will be distributed per day for approximately 20 days. The program will benefit over 75,000 people and will result in 22,500 hectares of winter wheat in:

Mercy Corps' area of responsibility (AOR):
Pec/Peja, Decan, Klina, Istok, Djakovica, Skenderal.

And through cooperation with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the seed and fertilizer will also be distributed to three municipalities within the CRS AOR:
Prizren, Stimlje, Strpce.

Once the winter wheat program is fully operational, attention will shift to the many other agricultural programs Mercy Corps has begun to implement including:

#  A tractor program (25 tractors have been provided for regional use within the Mercy Corps AOR)
#  Funds for farm equipment repair/service parts
#  Food preserving materials (plastic barrels and cooking pots)
#  Supplies and seeds for 4,000 greenhouses (supplies include water pump, hand tools and plastic sheeting)
#  Livestock assessment
#  Distribution of Urea/molasses mineral blocks to farmers in order to enhance digestive ability of low nutritional value fodder for livestock.

Agriculture recovery is crucial to Kosovo:

#  40% of the total pre-conflict economy and 60% of the pre-conflict workforce engaged in agriculture
#  80% of all livestock is missing, dead or severely threatened by disease and mal-nourishment
#  Small farms provide a primary source of basic foodstuffs for the family.

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