Prilep, 28 October 2022 (MIA) — Women need much more support from their local communities to start and run a business of their own, according to a panel on female entrepreneurship in the Pelagonia region held in Prilep on Friday. According to the National Platform for Women Entrepreneurship president and Association of Business Women of Macedonia head Valentina Disoska citing official statistics, more companies run by women are closing these days and fewer are opening. “Central Registry data show that the number of companies opening is lower than the number of companies closing. For example, in 2019 this difference was about 1,000 companies. In 2020 it was about 800. In 2021 the difference had decreased to about 500 companies, which means more companies have closed than have opened,” Disoska said. Women who want to start their business also face financial hurdles. “Women often don't have funds. They don't have property in their name to be able to apply for bank loans,” she added. According to Daniela Cvetanoska, the local coordinator of the National Platform for Women's Entrepreneurship, the Pelagonia agricultural region has provided ample opportunities for women to start their business as individual farmers. In practice, however, their businesses "are usually run by men in the background," she said. In Prilep, very few women have applied to use grants available for the development of agriculture. The local self-government has not given much support to female entrepreneurs, either. “Women give up because of long, discouraging administrative procedures. And awareness [of available funding] is lacking, especially for women in rural areas,” Cvetanoska said. The panel was organized by the National Platform for Women Entrepreneurship. Panelists included businesswomen from the Pelagonia region, professors and local activists. mr/