In 2019, the fruit and vegetable sector recorded a slight increase in exports compared to the previous year, while at the same time a high increase in imports of 16 percent was recorded, according to the analyzes of the Bosnian Foreign Trade Chamber (VTKBiH) and Sweden / USAID FARMA II project.
Head of the USAID / Sweden FARMA II Fruit and Vegetable Sector Project Velibor Trifkovic said on Friday at VTKBiH that the total exports amounted to 188 million BAM and imports to a record 402 million BAM, confirming a lack of production on the domestic market.
In 2015, these imports amounted to 293 million BAM and increased in the following years. The coverage of imports by exports was 52 percent, which is a slight decrease from the previous year.
Fruit and vegetable products continue to dominate the trade. Fruits worth 123 million BAM were exported, vegetables amounted to 44 million BAM and processed products amounted to 21 million BAM.
Trifkovic explained that in the structure of imports, the share of fruit is about 51 percent worth 206 million BAM, vegetables 26 percent or 106 million BAM, and processed fruits and vegetables 22 percent or 90 million BAM.
The five key export products, accounting for 52 percent of exports, are: frozen raspberries (59 million BAM), fresh pears (17 million BAM), apples (12 million BAM), cornichons (six million BAM) and plums (5 million BAM).
With regard to foreign trade for the fruit and vegetable sector with partner countries, as stated by FTC food expert Rados Sehovac, Serbia is a leading partner in terms of total trade volume, with imports from Serbia double the exports from BiH.
A positive balance of trade is recorded with Germany and the Russian Federation.
