LAND CULTIVATION Bosnian Krajina Produces for Export

More than 560 farmers from northwestern Bosnia produce over 1.5 million tons of fruits and vegetables for export to Hungary, Germany, France, and Turkey. 

"When the pandemic started, I was afraid that it might jeopardize our exports if the borders were closed and if we couldn't deliver products to the foreign market," says Nermin Bašić, who runs Bašo d.o.o.. His company purchases fruits and vegetables and collaborates with more than 560 farmers from Velika Kladuša and the wider Bosnian Krajina region, near the border with Croatia.

Taking Risks and Continuing Work

"I approached higher authorities and asked for advice regarding the export situation, but I received no response. Then I decided to continue working as planned and take all the risks," Nermin explains.

On one hand, he has contracts with farmers who grow gherkins, raspberries, and strawberries, as well as collect wild fruits and mushrooms. On the other hand, he has contracts with buyers from Hungary, Germany, France, and Turkey, to whom he exports. 

"We are currently producing 700 tons of gherkins, about 620 tons of raspberries, and two to three hundred tons of wild fruits and mushrooms. Of these total quantities, I produce about 10 percent, while the rest is produced by the farmers we work with," says Nermin, adding that Bašo d.o.o. now has nine permanent employees and about 40 seasonal workers.

What is most important to him now is that the export contracts are signed, and that cross-border traffic is becoming faster and cheaper after a period marked by long queues at the borders and increased transportation costs for goods.

Increased Interest in Agriculture

The Swedish Government and USAID first supported Bašo d.o.o. back in 2011 by installing a cold storage facility for deep freezing.

"Before export, we freeze 90 percent of our products, and we export about 95 percent of the products, which amounts to over one and a half million tons of fruits and vegetables annually," Nermin states.

Not so long ago, the Sweden/USAID FARMA II project supported them in acquiring a tractor and accompanying equipment that, with the use of agricultural film, contributes to increased gherkin yields.

"Now we have higher gherkin yields coming from smaller plots. I know it sounds strange, but we are now truly producing more gherkins using less land area.

Regardless, the number of people engaged in fruit and vegetable cultivation is increasing, and more land has been cultivated since the outbreak of the pandemic.

I would say that compared to 2019, people are now cultivating 20 percent more land. The number of people active in agriculture has increased thanks to municipal and FBiH Government incentives. The Municipality of Velika Kladuša alone provided planting material worth KM 280,000. On the other hand, middle-aged people who had unstable jobs in the EU have returned to BiH and are now working in agriculture," Nermin concludes.

It is to be hoped that with the constant export of fruits and vegetables, they will remain in BiH even after the pandemic ends.