Export of domestic honey from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the last year, despite problems, increased considerably compared to the previous years, and doubled compared to 2016. Still, these figures are still small compared to the quantities we import. In the past year, we imported nearly six times more of this bee product than we exported.
As the Assistant of President of the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH (FTCBiH), Danijela Kovac, said, the export of honey has increased for 11 months of 2017 by 100 percent in comparison with the previous year, more specifically in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. She points out that this is still modest export value, however, every new increase in exports is significant for domestic producers.
“Export data show that the export of honey has increased considerably compared to last year. In 2013, we exported honey worth 22.869 BAM, while for only 11 months in 2017 we exported 220.176 BAM, “ Kovac said.
When it comes to import, there are variations, but it is still much higher compared to export. The largest import of honey was recorded in 2014 in the amount of 1.891.850 BAM, while in 2016 the lowest import was recorded in the amount of 1.249.288 BAM.
“For 11 months of 2017 honey was imported in the amount of 1.792.244 BAM, and 99 percent was imported from Serbia and Croatia,” Kovac said.
In order to export goods from BiH to other countries, it has to pass a number of controls and meet some standards, and the increase in exports means that honey from our country is of high quality. However, in the BiH market, more than half of the 100 tested samples are not of adequate quality. The Food Safety Agency analyzed 100 samples, which were collected in the last three months of last year (45 in the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska, and 10 in the Brcko District area), and found out that 53 samples of honey were not of adequate quality.
(Source: klix.ba)
