Imported apples flood the market, domestic fruit growers dissatisfied with sales

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Apple producers are once again struggling to sell their products due to excessive imports and an unprotected domestic market. As concerned fruit growers point out, there are domestic apples, but no customer interest.

While domestic apples await buyers, markets across Bosnia and Herzegovina are flooded with imported apples. In the first seven months of this year alone, 12 million kilograms of apples, worth seven million marks, were imported into BiH.

Apples in markets and supermarkets come from Poland, Italy, Serbia, North Macedonia, Austria, Slovenia, and other countries. Sellers of domestic apples confirm that the situation is dire.

"The most common variety in our orchards here is Idared, which, apart from these, let's say Slavic countries, nobody buys. Europe doesn't buy. The European market is large, but very demanding, selective, and one must produce specifically for it," said fruit grower Darko Milošević.

Dissatisfied fruit growers say that, in addition to the market being oversaturated with imported products, the weather also did not cooperate, resulting in smaller and lower-quality apples in cold storage.

Fruit grower Aleksandar Njegić says: "It will also affect the next season, there will be fewer fruiting buds. It will also affect this season, the apples will become smaller, harder to preserve. State support is needed for assistance and the procurement of irrigation systems.".

While others profit multiple times from our apples, we are failing, say the Association of Fruit Growers of Republika Srpska. The state is not responding to numerous appeals.

DRAGOJA DOJČINOVIĆ, president of the Association of Fruit Growers of Republika Srpska, emphasizes: "We asked for protective measures to be introduced during the season when our products mature, but they were not receptive. I don't think this happens anywhere else in the world, only in BiH, where products cannot be protected.".

Fruit growers point out that, due to "porous" borders, fruit that is several years old enters BiH, which is why they call Bosnia and Herzegovina the landfill of Europe.