According to the “Landgeist Map” research, citizens of BiH eat almost the least amount of meat in the region. Considering the challenges in production, but also the continuous increase in meat prices, consumer associations say that this is not surprising, because citizens are saving on everything, including food.
A survey conducted last year shows that in BiH, about 43 kg of meat is eaten per capita per year, and in this regard, we are almost the last in the region. Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia are ahead of us, and Macedonia is behind us. The decreasing domestic production, but also the continuous increase in prices, are just some of the reasons, say those involved in meat production.
“We eat less and less, of course there are always people who like to eat, they have learned, they buy in smaller quantities,” says Tarik Babic, meat product manufacturer from Visoko.
However, there are also those who disagree with the statistics.
“We eat a lot of meat and regardless of constant shortages and diseases and pandemics and all sorts of misery, we still consume a lot of meat and the price increase does not affect that, we eat,” explains Milenko Zupur, owner of a meat industry from Bijeljina.
Although citizens are giving up many things, meat is not one of them. However, they admit that they are now buying slightly less. Although a good part of households, due to constant price increases, often have to tighten their belts, the demand for meat in BiH is still high. According to data from the Indirect Taxation Administration of BiH, in 2023, 75.7 million kilograms of meat were imported into BiH.
