New Government Agricultural Development Strategy Could Open Thousands of Jobs

Deputies of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will today, at the 6th Extraordinary Session of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, discuss the strategy for the development of the agricultural sector in the FBiH for the period 2015 – 2019, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The new Draft Strategy for the Development of Agriculture in the Federation, prepared by domestic and foreign agricultural experts, envisions new and better legal solutions, greater support for domestic farmers, increased competitiveness of products produced in the FBiH compared to imported goods, and strengthening of agricultural exports.

Experts claim that if the agricultural development strategy is fully implemented, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will open thousands of jobs in the coming years and increase exports several times over, which could revitalize the socio-economic picture in the Federation.

Although burdened by numerous problems, the agriculture of the FBiH has demonstrated commendable economic vitality in the past period. From 2006 to 2011, agricultural sector exports increased by as much as 2.4 times, or 141%. The vitality and importance of the agricultural sector is also confirmed by the fact that exports grew in 2010 (at a rate of 9.8%) when the total exports of the BiH economy fell by 17.6%, thus becoming one of the main drivers of exports.

The Draft Strategy for the Development of Agriculture in the FBiH states that although the share of employment in agriculture in the total number of employees is stagnating, agriculture still provides the most significant number of jobs in the FBiH, amounting to around 13%, writes NAP.