MS&WOOD Company Removing Ragweed in Fojnica

Bosnian furniture industry company "MS&WOOD" (Majstori i drvo) has started removing ragweed in the Fojnica area, and will, at its own expense, remove this harmful plant along the main road for a length of 15 kilometers from Fojnica, where it has its production facilities, to the Fojnica intersection, or to Kiseljak, reports the BH News Agency Patria.

Ragweed is considered the biggest enemy of people suffering from allergic diseases, given that its pollen is the strongest allergenic pollen. Symptoms of allergy include red eyes, tearing, nasal congestion, itchy nose, sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, asthma, and changes in the skin and digestion.

MS&WOOD Director Muhamed Pilav stated that it is estimated that 10 to 20% of the population in Bosnia and Herzegovina alone is allergic to ragweed.

- Furthermore, Semberija has the highest concentration of ragweed in Europe. The harmful consequences of the allergies caused by ragweed last about four months a year, during which time those affected experience a significant reduction in physical ability. We can only imagine the costs and damages the state and society must bear because of ragweed.

I call on all institutions, companies, and citizens on this occasion to join this initiative and to launch a ragweed cleaning campaign together. Instead of ragweed, let's sow wheat and corn because we import them - said Pilav.

He also added that there is insufficient education in BiH about the harmful effects of this plant, so some people even grow it as an ornamental plant in their yards.

In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Instructions on the method of implementing mandatory ragweed destruction measures and a Decision on measures for preventing the spread and destruction of ragweed have been adopted, obliging all legal and natural persons to destroy ragweed. The most effective approach to controlling ragweed includes mechanical, agrotechnical, and chemical control measures. The proposal for ragweed control is that everyone eradicates this harmful plant from their property or pays a fine.

There are several reasons for the spread of ragweed. First of all, the plant has enormous reproductive potential. One plant can produce up to 8,000 seeds that remain in the soil for up to 40 years. This plant thrives in almost all soil types, and in our climate, it has extremely favorable conditions for spreading.