Federal Ministry of Agriculture still lacks proper oversight of subsidies

The financial audit report of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry has revealed a number of irregularities in the ministry's operations. The largest number of irregularities relate to the allocation of subsidies to agricultural producers, Patria reports.

In the report, the Office for Audit of Institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2015 states that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has not established an adequate information system for processing financial support, nor a central database that would show which types of subsidies are involved, as well as which clients received subsidies.

- This prevents adequate control and supervision over the implementation of subsidy funds, as well as the transparent presentation of data on allocated financial support to clients - the Report states.

The auditors also note that the ministry has not achieved adequate supervision and control over the process of allocating financial support in agriculture and rural development. As a shortcoming in the ministry's work, the auditors also note that the inventory of fixed assets, liabilities and receivables of the ministry was not carried out in accordance with applicable regulations.

The Cantonal Court in Tuzla is currently conducting proceedings against former Federal Minister of Agriculture Jerko Ivanković Lijanović on suspicion of illegally allocating subsidies. In 2015, the ministry was taken over by SDA minister Šemsudin Dedić, but auditors continued to uncover irregularities in the allocation of subsidies, Patria reports.