Muhamed Pilav: You don't shoot from an empty one!

By Muhamed Pilav

For years, unfortunately, Bosnia and Herzegovina imports about 80% of its wheat and flour needs, and most other food products. Various crises are happening in the world, and in our region: floods, droughts, fires, diseases, wars, earthquakes, viruses, sanctions. And that's nothing new. As long as the world exists, there will be crises. But crises exist to be managed, and even better, to be mitigated or avoided. Therefore, there must be backup options for all these calamities.

20 years ago, I repeatedly tried to convince all levels of government that we must produce sufficient quantities of basic foodstuffs, but it was like talking to a brick wall.

And although I have since lost all hope that anything can change, the sadness in the eyes of my workers and fellow citizens, who are all facing this latest crisis together, has given me the strength to try one more time. The uncertainty is great, many predict the biggest economic crisis ever, and none of us are sure anymore whether there will be enough food on world markets and whether it will be accessible without difficulties as it has been until now.

Therefore, I propose:

1. That a crisis headquarters be urgently formed (we must not wait for autumn) to develop and implement a strategy for the production of sufficient (even better, with some surplus) quantities of basic foodstuffs, at least for domestic needs, primarily wheat, corn, potatoes, and milk.

2. Knowledge is most important here too. We must educate farmers on how to achieve the highest possible yields and provide them with quality seeds on time. The quality of produced food must be in line with consumer needs. I have 30 years of experience in processing wheat and corn, so I know that the quality of domestic wheat is very poor. Half of the already small production is not even suitable for human consumption.

3. Since we have many small plots that are mostly uncultivated, and what's more, ragweed grows on them, which causes health problems for at least 10% of the population, we must urgently introduce a very high tax on uncultivated agricultural land and abolish it on cultivated land. If the owner does not pay the tax, their land should be given free of charge (not confiscated) to a farmer who wants to cultivate it.

4. Milk production should only be an introduction to the serious production of indigenous, high-quality long-lasting cheeses and meat products for the world market, as we have ideal natural conditions for this production. The role models and training centers for our farmers should be the dairy and meat industries of France, Switzerland, Japan, etc.

Our people have always been hardworking. Lately, the whole world has gone astray and everyone has gotten lost in some new imposed values that have abruptly omitted diligence, love for the homeland, humanity, and solidarity. Now is the opportunity to remember what has nourished and educated us to become who we are. They say that there are 1 million hectares of uncultivated land in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Just as it is important for our country to have a strong defense industry to protect its citizens, it is equally important to sow these vast hectares that generations before us have left us as a legacy. Because, you don't shoot from an empty one.

(the author is a long-time entrepreneur, director of the company Uniporomet d.d. Sarajevo)