Macedonia pushes agricultural modernization with €80 million KfW loan and new digital land system

Over the past two years the VMRO‑DPMNE‑led government of North Macedonia has stabilised the agricultural sector and shifted focus to large‑scale capital investment, modernisation and institutional building. An €80 million loan from Germany’s KfW, previously stalled for five years, is now being deployed alongside a World Bank modernisation loan that had seen less than 10 % use. Construction of a logistics‑distribution centre in Skopje is underway and slated for completion by the end of 2027, while a sorting and storage centre is being prepared in Strumica. An integrated digital system for managing agricultural land has been introduced, with over 2,100 contracts covering roughly 6,000 ha of state land and an additional 2,000 ha freed for farmers. Water‑sector support of 132 million denars is earmarked for 2025. After six decades, Lake Mladost has been cleared and irrigated area has grown from about 14,000 to 17,700 ha. Projects for the Konsko and Rečani dams, the Rava‑Rečica water system, and irrigation schemes at Kolibari, Saraj, Turija and Zletovica are underway, complemented by EU funding for Sopot and Novaci. Forestry has turned from loss to a 10 million‑denar profit with a new digital monitoring system, 71 new hunting concessions have been signed, and Ohrid Lake has been restocked with roughly one million trout. New laws on land, agriculture and rural development are being prepared.