Džubur: The authorities' nonchalance towards the crisis is maddening; without agriculture, we are like beggars

(Patria) - Politicians in FBiH must understand that agriculture is a strategic interest of every country if they don't want their citizens to be beggars, Ahmed Džubur, president of the Agriculture Committee in the FBiH Parliament, told Patria. He expects an urgent parliamentary session on agriculture to be held and concrete measures to be adopted to mitigate the consequences of the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine as much as possible. 

Patria: Mr. Džubur, have we been too late with measures to protect the standard of living of BiH citizens after the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine? 

The nonchalance and calmness of those in power, who assure us that we can adequately respond to the challenges of this global crisis, is maddening. They expect all of us to remain silent and not spread panic, yet for years they have done everything to devastate agriculture and make BiH almost completely dependent on import lobbies. BiH has no food of its own. We import huge quantities, from grains onwards. There is no reason for panic that there will be no basic foodstuffs, but there is a justified fear that prices will increase significantly, which will certainly affect the already poor standard of living.

Patria: Is 50 liters of fuel per hectare of arable land enough to save the sowing season?

It is assistance, which is not enough on an annual level, but let's say it is useful. Much more needs to be done, and I will insist in the parliamentary procedure on increasing the budget for agricultural support to 150 million. With the planned 106 million, we cannot adequately respond to the disruption that has caused enormous price increases for sowing material, fertilizer, fuel, and everything else without which agricultural development is impossible. 

Patria: Yesterday there was a meeting of representatives of the FBiH Government and cantons, do others think like you?

Yesterday, the main topic was subsidized fuel, and on the margins, how to realize the distribution of 200 million in support that cantons receive from the federal budget. Although many mentioned agriculture as a sector where support is needed, it seems that there is insufficient willingness within the cantons themselves to create an obligation for part of these funds to be earmarked for this area. There was an intention to invest 20 percent of these funds in agricultural development, which would provide an additional 40 million, but it is an election year, and it seems that some government representatives have other priorities.

Patria: It is clear that we do not have systemic solutions, how much can be done if we know that BiH does not have a state ministry of agriculture?

Unfortunately, we are now paying the price for all the obstructions carried out at the state level, aimed at weakening state institutions. The result is that we now have a fire that is difficult to extinguish because with what we have, it is hard to even put out a spark. Irresponsible policies have led BiH, once a raw material base for the entire Yugoslavia, to a situation of devastated agricultural production, which more and more people are abandoning, deciding to leave the country. The Neretva Valley was once considered California, and now we are completely dependent on others. In such a situation, entities and cantons must take responsibility, which has not happened entirely, so we do not have adequate measures for immediate action.

Patria: There have been many criticisms regarding the functioning of commodity reserves, besides fuel, can we count on other assistance from there, as we know that commodity reserves worldwide serve to stabilize the market?

With commodity reserves of two million marks, as it was until now, we could have perhaps saved one small town in FBiH. It is good that an increase to 20 million is planned, but there is still a lot of work to be done because since the end of the war, the commodity reserve system has not been functional, from storage capacity to market regulation policy.

Patria: Is it finally time to realize that a country's future depends on how much it can help its citizens and will those who produce their own food be happy?

Those who eat their own are always happy. There is a huge disruption in the grain market. Many countries are banning exports, like Hungary. Without our own production and reserves, we are condemned to be beggars, and this can and must change. Therefore, we must not agree to the planned modest increase in agricultural support. It is necessary to revive crop production, for which 11 million marks in subsidies is too little, we need to maintain animal production and provide subsidies for neglected agricultural sectors such as greenhouse production. With adequate measures, this can and must be a year of stabilization, as we witness that the cost of living is rising faster and much more than citizens' incomes.

(E. Metaj)