Turkish Minister of Agriculture to visit BiH, strengthen foreign trade exchange between the two countries

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey Bekir Pakdemirli accepted the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH Staša Košarac to a meeting on strengthening bilateral cooperation and improving foreign trade exchange between the two countries.

The Turkish side informed Minister Košarac that Minister Pakdemirli will be visiting Sarajevo on February 25, 2021, for this purpose.

At the initiative of Minister Košarac, the upcoming meeting will also be attended by the Ministers of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH, Boris Pašalić and Šemsudin Dedić.

"We must provide our domestic farmers with the most favorable conditions possible for placing products on the Turkish market. That was the main reason why I insisted on holding a meeting with the Turkish Minister, but I also requested that the line ministers from Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH participate in the talks, as the agricultural sector is primarily under the jurisdiction of the entities," stated Minister Košarac.

He assessed that the Republic of Turkey is an important foreign trade partner with whom he wants to intensify negotiations on a larger volume of foreign trade exchange for the benefit of export-oriented farmers from Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH.

"Therefore, at the ministerial meeting, I will insist on continuing the export of red meat from BiH to Turkey and on increasing the export quotas from 3,000 to 5,000 tons this year. Also, I will open negotiations with the Turkish side on the possibility of exporting processed meat products, as well as essential oil, to this country's market," announced Minister Košarac.

He emphasized that the arrangement with the Republic of Turkey is important for domestic export-oriented companies, especially in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of market surpluses.

"Opening new markets and continuing exports gives domestic farmers the opportunity to minimize market surpluses and mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic. This is one of the measures we are actively working on to protect domestic farmers," said Minister Košarac, and reminded that in the past period, negotiations on exports have also been intensified with the European Union, Russia, China, as well as Malaysia and Singapore.

Minister Košarac did not rule out the possibility of undertaking other measures to stabilize market conditions and develop the agricultural sector.

"I regret that our proposal to introduce levies and customs rates for 200 days was not supported by all ministers in the Council of Ministers of BiH. However, I must clearly emphasize that this will not discourage me. Given that we already have announced new initiatives for the introduction of the aforementioned protective measures for two years, I am fully prepared to submit such a request to the Council of Ministers of BiH for consideration again and to vote for it personally," concluded Minister Košarac.