Livanjski cheese protected as a brand, but not from market cruelty

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Thanks to the persistence of the Association of Producers of Indigenous Livanjski Cheese „Cincar“, this largest Livanjski brand was protected two years ago. The Food Safety Agency of BiH issued a decision on the protection of its origin, and the possibility of its export was announced soon, but this has not happened to this day. Because of this, as well as due to increased production costs, small producers are giving up and mini dairies are disappearing one after another.

The protection of the origin of Livanjski cheese produced in a traditional way, from unpasteurized milk, was supposed to enable small producers to enter the European market and get a better price. With the support of the Czech Development Agency and the City Administration in Livno, a cooperative was also opened.

„The concept of the cooperative is to help with placement, which is the biggest problem, really - export. Well, we will work for one year at the local level, or at the federal level, and after one year, as they told us, we will apply for export,“ said Jozo Baković, president of the Association of Producers of Indigenous Livanjski Cheese „Cincar“, six months ago.

And two years have passed since the protection of origin. The cheese still cannot cross the border, and the cooperative members are slowly leaving.

„A lot of people have given up waiting. Although young people don't want to do this anymore, livestock is being sold, people are moving to the city,“ says Nedžad Burkić, owner of a family company.

The tradition of cheese production in the Burkić family, which is almost 100 years old, was mostly passed down through the female line. Thus, Irma, Nedžad's wife, learned the craft from her mother-in-law, and the cheese was sold in Dalmatia: „As long as I've been here in Guber, we've never had problems with sales. Before, it was sold, of course, illegally, it was sent to Croatia, and now we sell everything here in our own space, it doesn't go down there anymore.”

Two pandemic years have also harmed large producers who have no problems with exports. But, as they say - every cloud has a silver lining.

„We learned that we have to be even wider in sales, to export to as many countries as possible, and so in these two years we increased exports by over 50%. So, now out of the total production - 60% goes for export,“ points out Tomislav Puđa, owner of the dairy.

And they produce two tons of cheese daily. Recently, they have recorded another positive trend, adds Puđa: „Sometimes many people went abroad, e.g., to Germany. And now we have inquiries that some would like to return. We welcome them with open arms. I also have to mention that we have employed quite a few young people recently.“

Currently, 40 people work at the Dairy, and they also take care of their suppliers. They have increased purchase prices and pay from 60 to 85 feninga for a liter of cow's milk, depending on the quality, one and a half marks for sheep's milk, and one mark and 30 for goat's milk. They are aware that due to increased production costs, farmers are barely surviving, and that without suppliers, there are no dairies.