Farmers will gather on August 21st in front of the Government of Canton Sarajevo (CS) due to months-long delays in incentives, while the transport sector is preparing blockades from September 1st over unfulfilled promises by the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ITA BiH).
The Association of Agricultural Producers of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) announced a peaceful protest on August 21st at 11:55 a.m. in front of the headquarters of the Government of CS. The reason, they claim, is the months-long delay in incentive payments, which is endangering the production and livelihood of farmers.
The president of the Association, Admir Kahriman, said that the problems began already during the drafting of the budget for 2025, when the funds for agriculture were initially reduced from 9.5 to 4.5 million BAM. After the association’s reaction and talks with MPs, the budget was increased to 8.5 million BAM, but amendments to the regulations, published at the end of December, brought additional administrative obstacles.
“The Ministry of Economy did not pay the fourth quarter by the end of January, but only in March. The decision on incentives for the CSwas made in mid-May, and payments are being made partially. Plant production from the second quarter has not even been considered for payment,” said Kahriman.
He added that a request to suspend traffic had been submitted, but farmers do not plan to block main roads; instead, they will park tractors in Reisa Dzemaludina Causevica Street, where the Government of CS is located.
“This is a peaceful protest. We want to show that we are united and that we will fight for our rights,” he said.
At the same time, the transport and logistics sector in BiH is also raising its voice. The Logistics Consortium of BiH, which gathers more than 3.000 international license carriers and operates 16.000 vehicles, announced protests and blockades from September 1st.
In an open letter to the Director of the ITA of BiH, Zoran Tegeltija, they warn about stricter European Union (EU) rules, longer delays at borders (an average of 14.5 hours), double charging for terminal services, and inconsistent customs procedures.
“We are not asking for anything new – we are asking you to implement what we agreed upon together. If by August 15th we do not see concrete results, we will consider the ITA BiH responsible for the escalation of the crisis,” stated the Consortium.
Their demands include unified customs procedures, elimination of unjustified costs, digitization of records, and calculation of damages in line with EU practice.
Thus, the end of summer in BiH could be marked by a double wave of protests – by farmers demanding adherence to deadlines for incentive payments and by the transport sector demanding more efficient customs procedures, N1 writes.
