Fish farming is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors of cultivation of food of animal origin. This trend has also been noticed in BiH, where the fish production in the post-war period increased from 3,000 tons to 8,000 tons. The main reasons for this are exceptional natural conditions and the fact that the fish meat is the only one that we can export to the EU market.
Duty-free quota on the export of fish is 60 tons, and an increase to 500 tons is announced, due to accepted amendments of the SAA. Each export over this amount includes the payment of customs duties in the amount of 8.5 %.
The owner of a fish farm „Krajina“ from Martin Brod, Rifat Tahiric, said that he believes that the quota is still too small.
“Only our farm produces 600 tons. Some fish farms are producing more than 1000 tons,” said Tahiric.
The owners of fish farms agree that the state should strongly support fish farming. There is still no strategic development for fish farming, and taxes are also big.
“We are warning on that often, because so far, mainly tolls followed us on the road to the EU. We have to pay about 150 para-fiscal levies per kilogram of fish, which is too much,” said owner of the fish farm “Laks” from Salakovac, Djevad Handzar.
Professor of aquaculture at the Faculty of Agriculture on the University of Sarajevo, Samir Muhamedagic, said that the increase in the duty-free quota is an improvement, but it is also a political issue.
“We would be the happiest if there would be no quota, because there is no fish in Europe that can compete with ours in quality. I believe that quotas will be gradually abolished, because BiH is a small producer in European proportions”.
(Source: ekapija.com)
