Slovenian and Croatian researchers are set to revive fig growing in the border region of Istria in a two-year project worth some EUR 195,000 that was presented to the press in the Slovenian city of Koper on Monday.
"Fig growing has always been a part of every Istrian's life," said Klavdij Starc of a local society from the village Smokvica, which is another name for a fig. He said that 120 fig trees would be planted in February as part of the project.
The project aims primarily at revitalising and promoting two important Mediterranean cultures, olives and figs, stressed project manager Milena Bucar Miklavcic, and added that they would be promoted as typical Istrian products.
Bucar Miklavcic also believes that "the increase in fig production along with the production of Istrian olive oil will make the local economy more stable".
The project dubbed "revitalisation of fig cultivation in Istria" is considered to be a turning point in fig growing, according to Dino Pucer of the Slovenian Society of Olive Growers in Istria (DOSI), which presented the project.
The project will be carried out in co-operation with several Slovenian institutions, including the University of Primorska, the Slovenian Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry, and Croatia's partner, the University of Rijeka.
The initiative is part of the INTERREG III crossborder cooperation between Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia.
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