Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) records a significant trade deficit in foreign trade exchange of meat, which in the first half of the year amounted to 245.3 million BAM, whereby meat makes up the largest share in the total deficit of the agro and food sector.
That sector, according to data from the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, records a total deficit of two billion BAM, which represents 32 percent of the total trade deficit of BiH, and when it comes to meat, exports cover only 12 percent of imports.
Imports of meat into BiH, according to data from the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) of BiH, have been in constant increase in the past three years, with the exception of a slight decline this year compared to the same period last year, which, despite a smaller quantity, further confirms the trend of price growth.
Thus, during the first seven months of this year, more than 381 million BAM was allocated for meat imports, while meat exports amounted to around 30.6 million BAM.
The largest amount refers to the import of beef, fresh, chilled, or frozen, which was paid more than 200 million BAM. For pork, 67.2 million BAM was allocated, and for poultry meat and edible poultry slaughter products, 34.7 million BAM. Most meat in BiH is imported from the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Belgium, and Serbia.
Economic analysts warn that such a structure of imports additionally burdens the trade balance and points to the need for strengthening domestic production and better support for local farmers. Although BiH has potential for the development of livestock farming, domestic producers still cannot compete with the quantities and prices that come from abroad.
All this leads to the collapse of farms because many farmers give up production due to non-competitive conditions. Health risks and situations in which frozen meat from distant countries is imported and “refreshed” with additives are also particularly pointed out, which causes concern among consumers.
