Tasty delicacies of returning Bosniaks and their Serb neighbours from Modriča conquer the BiH market

More than a hundred Bosniaks and Serbs from Modriča, in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina, produce the highest quality fruit and vegetable treats, bee products and other delicacies, from which they feed their families.

At first, they did it out of necessity, because they had no other source of income, and today many of them have grown into real small entrepreneurs. They are also opening new jobs.

- Work is the best medicine for everyone. When a person has a fulfilling workday, when they earn a living, it is easier to cope with all the problems they have in life - says the director of the Tarevci cooperative, Nahdet Sulejmen, for the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The idea to start producing tasty delicacies in Bosanska Posavina was conceived by Bosniak returnees to Modriča, who could not find other employment but desperately wanted to stay on their hearths.

However, soon their Serb neighbours joined them. A few years ago, they united in the cooperative "Tarevci", which today distributes their products throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Recently, also at the Bosnian market in Sarajevo.

- Next year, we plan to purchase up to half a wagon of plums daily. That is about five tons of this fruit – said director Sulejmen to Patria.

Members of the "Tarevci" cooperative are also exhibiting this year at the Sarajevo Holiday Market. Sulejmen says it is very important that buyers in Sarajevo support their idea. It is not, he explains, just so that some of their producers can earn money. Support is, above all, important for their self-confidence. Moreover, a strong economy preserves social peace more than anything else, writes Patria.