Prices of agricultural products in 2021 are 26.9 percent higher than the average price in 2015, the State Statistics Agency announced.
In 2021, compared to 2015 prices, plant production prices increased by 37.5 percent and livestock prices increased by 16.4 percent.
Prices of goods and services for current consumption in agricultural production in 2021 compared to the average price in 2015 are higher by 12.1 percent, according to the Agency for Statistics of BiH.
The rise in prices of basic foodstuffs and all other items, goods, and services has long since reached its peak, and it seems that no mechanism or measure can stop this. But who will protect the citizens, who are resentful, in all this?
Food prices are rising day by day, salaries and pensions are the same, citizens manage to live as they can. In the past, they say, it was bought in kilograms, but now it is bought in pieces.
”Before, I used to buy half a kilo, and sometimes a kilogram of meat. I can’t buy even 20 decagrams now.”
”This is unbearable. Everything is double the price.”
”To increase the price of coffee by two convertible marks, oil by one convertible mark. It’s a lot!”
From the cantons through the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) level to the state level – political actors are mostly focused on the mandates and overthrowing opponents, so they forgot about the promises and what they were primarily elected for. That they forgot about the citizens is best shown by the amount of the consumer basket, pensions, salaries, and expensive tuition fees. This primarily refers to the rampant prices of basic foodstuffs, which, it seems, no one can stop. Citizens are outraged! Who and how can protect citizens from price increases?
”As this trend of increasing prices was unstoppable, the Government decided in April 2021 to adopt a measure by which it prescribed for 17 products to maintain margins in the percentage amount as of December 31st, 2020,” Merima Maslo recalls, Assistant Minister of Trade of FBiH.
This decision is still in force, and in the past period, the competent inspections have performed hundreds of checkups. A quarter of the economic entities they controlled were found to have irregularities and misdemeanor measures were imposed against them. Thus, the price of oil, flour, mills and bakery products, sugar, dairy products, meat, and meat products has increased drastically.
”This mostly endangers an ordinary family living on a salary of 600, 700, or 800 BAM, if one member is employed and if he works in the real sector,” said Gordana Bulic, president of the Tuzla Canton (TC) Consumers’ Association.
In addition to low salaries and pensions, production has also been reduced, leading to increased demand. And the merchants are at a loss.
”Producers-merchants are trying to cover part of the profits that are lost through wage costs through price increases, and the main reason is, of course, the increase in world market prices,” explains Dzelmina Huremovic, Assistant Minister of Trade of TC.
However, nothing supports the citizens, specifically consumers, and, according to the authorities, the main culprits for the increase in prices all over the world and in our country are the disproportionate supply and demand relations, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
