In the vicinity of Srebrenica, there is an increasing number of “charcoal kilns” – traditionally made furnaces for the production of charcoal. For returnees, this is a more lucrative job than cattle breeding, and they obtain wood by “clearing the forest” after felling.
Wood coal or charcoal was rarely produced in this area in the past, only for personal needs, on a small scale, and no one ever made a living from it. Charcoal was made in charcoal kilns (furnaces for the production of charcoal) built of mud and straw, and the entire production process lasted about fifteen days. Today, charcoal kilns are mostly built with bricks, and charcoal is made much faster. Two years ago, mostly Bosniak returnees in the villages of Srebrenica in the eastern part of Srebrenica municipality, began mass building charcoal kilns and revived charcoal production.
Dudic brothers, Omer and Smail returned to Srebrenica 20 years ago. “Until a little more than a year ago, we lived engaged in livestock and agriculture, we also built the facilities necessary for that, but it is hard work and the earnings are small. It takes a few months to raise a lamb and sell it, but this goes faster and pays better, that’s why we started doing this as a family. We work together with our wives, and our children are also a great help when they can help when they come home from school or college. We registered the company and for now, we are satisfied with the work,” says Omer. He also adds that they get the wood for charcoal from Drina Forestry Holding. “We clean the sections after logging, which are here near our houses, so it is a mutual benefit.”
Omer says that there is a lot of wood waste in the surrounding forests, and people have recognized a greater interest in it than to engage in livestock or agriculture since it is a hilly area with a harsh climate and small holdings. We asked him what the demand is and who he sells his charcoal to.
“For now, we have several buyers who buy charcoal from us. The demand is high because it is used to purify drinking water in big cities, but also for grills and roasters, but I have already acquired some packaging machines, so we are planning to market our product ourselves, which will surely bring more profit,” Omer explained.
Improved the old way of making charcoal stoves
Muhamed Alic aka Alf from the village of Meraje was the first to start producing charcoal for sale after the war, and until recently he was alone in this.
“I started out of curiosity in 2007, because during felling there was a lot of waste and wood of poor quality that could not be used for burning in the household, but only in the charcoal plant. I slightly improved the old way of making a charcoal kiln by walling it with bricks and plastering it with soil. I started with a brick kiln and that charcoal was mainly used for the barbecue,” says Alf.
“Now it is a registered family business and already recognizable on the market. My wife and two sons are involved in the business. We have three brick kilns. We produce about 10 tons of charcoal a month and we all earn a decent salary from that,” Muhamed Alic stated. He also added that anyone who wants to seriously engage in some kind of production must constantly invest in technology and follow market demands.
