During the first quarter, 847 kilograms of honey worth 46,168 BAM were exported from Bosnia and Herzegovina, while 149,731 kilograms worth around 1.27 million BAM were imported.
The value of honey exports from BiH in the first quarter was almost 10 times higher than in the same period last year, the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH said.
Exports are also almost 10 times higher in quantity, as only 86 kilograms of honey were exported in the first three months of last year.
The value of natural honey imports in the first quarter amounted to 1,273,903 BAM, which is 7.72 percent less than in the same period last year.
In the first quarter, 44,860 kilograms of honey were imported less than in the first quarter of 2024.
The import-export coverage for the first three months was 3.62 percent, and in the same period last year it was 0.34 percent.
In the first quarter, honey was mostly exported from BiH to Qatar, worth 36,432 BAM, followed by Turkey with 2,228 BAM, Germany with 1,029 BAM and Switzerland with 1,009 BAM, while it was mostly imported from Croatia with a value of 770,284 BAM, followed by Serbia with 268,923 BAM and Turkey with 234,401 BAM.
In the first quarter of last year, honey was mostly exported to the United Arab Emirates, worth 1,361 BAM, followed by Turkey, worth 1,089 BAM, Austria, worth 761 BAM, and Germany, worth 428 BAM. The largest imports came from Croatia, worth 832,805 BAM, Turkey, worth 375,145 BAM, and Serbia, worth 172,554 BAM.
“An increasingly common problem faced by producers and consumers alike is the counterfeiting of honey. This problem is not only present in our country, but also in the regional market and the EU,” the Foreign Trade Chamber added.
They note that this problem was also discussed at a roundtable on honey quality control on the BiH market and current legislation, which was attended by, in addition to beekeepers, representatives of the executive and legislative branches.
The Chamber states that unscrupulous entities, in order to gain economic profit, are increasingly using various techniques, technologies and substitutes to imitate the properties of honey and thereby gain greater material benefit.
It goes to such lengths that sometimes, despite the application of appropriate modern testing methods, it is difficult to detect whether it is counterfeit honey.
“Counterfeiting of honey can also be associated with inappropriate declaration of the type and origin of honey, which can be observed in many analyses, and which is certainly a type of consumer deception,” the Foreign Trade Chamber points out.
The Chamber reminds that the control and supervision of honey trade across the border of BiH is carried out by the border veterinary inspection, while the Veterinary Office of BiH is responsible for official sampling in facilities approved for export, as well as for conducting audits, Srna news agency writes.
