Minister of Agriculture Ignas Hofmanas says it is necessary to renew the outdated in Vilnius district, the infrastructure of the state-owned Lithuanian stud farm located in Riešė, and at the beginning it would be possible to invest the company's reserve - 700 thousand euros.
According to the minister, a company operating strategy is being prepared that would indicate what should be invested in first to renovate the stud farm.
"We have a cash reserve of about 700 thousand euros in our subsidiary, which, upon agreement with the Minister of Finance, we could invest in the infrastructure of the stud farm, locker rooms, primarily so that people and schoolchildren who want to use the services of the stud farm can come," - at the Government Hour The Seimas the minister said on Thursday.
"We are also developing a strategy for what the stud farm needs first and what to invest in first," added I. Hofmanas.
He has previously said that the government is expected to request about 2 million euros to preserve the stud farm.
"We will look for that money, (…) 2 million euros, it is unclear whether that much will be needed to renovate the stud farm and improve its condition, because the property is dilapidated," I. Hofmanas said in the Seimas.
He also mentioned that the new board and manager of the stud farm are expected to be elected in June.
The Lithuanian Stud Farm has been temporarily headed by Gerda Žibūdaitė since April 30, who previously worked as the stud farm's deputy director, according to data from the Center of Registers.
The Lithuanian Stud Farm has not had a permanent director since February 19, when Felicija Kelmickaitė resigned. Deputy Director Saulius Tarasauskas was temporarily appointed in her place.
F. Kelmickaitė left her post of her own accord, but at the end of February, the Ministry of Agriculture (M.A.) applied to the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to initiate a pre-trial investigation, suspecting the former head of corruption.
In early May, the shareholders of the Lithuanian Stud Farm decided that the institution should undergo an internal audit and its statutes should be amended. According to them, the Ministry of Agriculture, as the main shareholder, could control the company during a transitional period until a new board is appointed and a manager is elected.
Last December, the Lithuanian Stud Farm announced that it was closing its loss-making branch in Riešė, but the Riešė community appealed to the ministry in January to save the branch. The community wondered whether the losses at the stud farm could be due to poor management, but the board of the stud farm said that the main problem was insufficient funding, and the losses were caused by old, unrenovated buildings and outdated equipment.
The Ministry of Agriculture owns 89,6 percent of the company's shares.
Authors: Erika Alonderytė-Kazlauskė, Lukas Juozapaitis
[email protected], +370 5 205 85 11, Business News Department
