Harmonization of regulations in the field of agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the European Union is a frequent topic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are plans. However, there are almost no concrete works. Closing farms instead of expanding production, working with outdated equipment, constantly delaying the payment of incentives, is the everyday life of farmers in the country.
Mirsad Husejnović from Kalesija has been engaged in cattle breeding and growing gherkins for years. During our visit, the product was handed over. He adds that he has not received incentives for the seventh month, and in practice there is an irregular distribution of funds. He borrows to maintain production.
“We have zero incentives. They are late. What will an incentive be for me in August, September, if I need it now? God gave it, it killed wheat, grain, everything,” Mirsad Husejnović points out.
Harmonization of regulations with the European Union is a long process that requires preparations, but above all, the will of political leaders.
“Where we are now, they were 50 years ago. What are they doing now? Improvement means environmental protection, energy, nitrate policy. So, we are nowhere near that,” says Fahrudin Delibajrić, president of the FBiH Gherkin Producers’ Assembly.
Funds in the European Union are allocated mostly for the improvement of agriculture, adds Delibajrić. In our country, even the strategy does not pass the Parliament session, the words of the experts are the least heard, while the political turmoil affects this area as well.
“It seems to me that the current politicians simply do not want to enter into serious reforms, and serious reforms are really necessary, if we want to be in the story of the European Union,” emphasizes Sabahudin Bajramović from the Faculty of Agriculture and Food, UNSA.
“Guys who drive tractors are often younger than the tractors they drive, and then you have increased fuel consumption, soil pollution and so on. These are all problems that we have to solve by the time we enter the EU,” Fahrudin Delibajrić points out.
“We live in a really uncertain time. That’s why it’s very important to build your capacities, use your resources, build your institutions, your science, farmers, and also the processing industry,” says Emil Erjavec from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana.
One of the problems is the fact that such departments are run by those who do not belong to that profession, remind farmers. For years, political lobbies have been louder than the appeals of hard-working farmers, and all citizens are paying the bills, BHRT writes.
