Bujanovac – Dragan Stevanovic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, confirmed that the Srem Dairy was the sole bidder for the purchase of the Tobacco Industry in Bujanovac. In that regard, Rade Basta, Director of the Srem Dairy, said that the plans for the TIB were big, as well as that the idea was to start the production of tobacco in that part of Serbia.

Dragan Stevanovic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, said that the Directorate for Preventing Money Laundering was, at the moment, checking the origin of the capital of that company.

According to the data of the Ministry of Economy, 57.9% of the capital of DIB was being sold, with a starting price of 686,354 euros, which is a third of the estimated value of the company’s capital.

TIB employs around 100 workers and has, so far, been unsuccessfully sold several times. 

Mr. Basta says that the company, apart from the Bujanovac TIB, plans to buy the Tobacco Industry in Ljubovija, too.

"We have passed the qualification process and have been declared customers. We want to hire people, to improve the production and to include new production lines. We will ask the state for the license for the production of cigars. We want to produce a domestic brand that will be attractive to everyone, "Mr. Basta said.  

He also said that they had planned to cooperate with farmers, who would receive raw materials from the tobacco industry and who would manufacture tobacco.

Source: South News and Coordination Body