A disastrous year for the farming sector in Bijeljina. In the largest granary of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), this year’s yield and quality of wheat are below all expectations. The price is no better. Production destroyed. Dissatisfied producers demand an immediate reaction from the authorities and a reduction in the price of bakery products.
That misfortune never comes alone – it was shown this year in the food production sector as well. The poor quality and yields of this year’s crop of bread grain are accompanied by an ever-lower purchase price. Producers are close to collapse.
“We had the most expensive sowing, but the purchase price was never lower. Never a lower yield, which is an even bigger problem,” says agricultural producer Miko Rikanovic.
“Expectations failed. There is no yield that was predicted. And in addition to the poor yield, the purchase price is also a problem. We are offered 30 fannings, even less, depending on the quality. However, the production itself was historically the most expensive,” says agricultural producer Ilija Cvijetinovic.
“The Government of Republika Srpska (RS) has addressed the Ministry of Foreign Trade regarding protective measures, the Ministry will initiate the procedure and propose it to the Council of Ministers for adoption”, says Stasa Kosarac, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH (SNSD).
Apparently, that measure will not be implemented this year. The poor yield cannot cover domestic needs for bread grain, and we are expecting increased imports. Therefore, it is questionable what the price of flour and bakery products will be.
Farmers are dissatisfied. They ask the authorities to react urgently. The price of bread, they claim, is obscenely high. For a long time, they have been pointing to the absurd behavior of the authorities to monitor oil and fuel prices only when they go up and use them as a reason for price increases, while the decline is completely ignored.
Apart from bread, farmers warn, other foodstuffs are more expensive than anywhere else in Europe. This imbalance between production and the market forces the closure of numerous farms. For example, in the past five years alone, the number of registered producers has decreased from the former 16,000 to only 2,000.
E.Dz.
