Meat imports to BiH seven times higher than exports, farmers seek state aid

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Due to massive meat imports to the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina, farmers and agricultural producers from Republika Srpska have submitted an initiative to adopt measures.

The relevant entity Ministry of Agriculture is requesting the Council of Ministers of BiH to adopt urgent measures to reduce meat imports and to purchase meat from domestic producers.

Protective measures have been requested from the Council of Ministers of BiH, not a complete ban on imports, they only want meat to be purchased from our domestic producers.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska, Boris Pašalić, claims that he has the support of farmers from all over the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for this request.

- The initiative to limit meat imports from abroad is on the agenda almost every year, precisely during the summer holidays, when meat consumption is highest throughout the year. Last year, a similar initiative was sent to the Council of Ministers of BiH, but it is opposed by meat processors who buy cheap imported meat for the production of a wide range of meat products. The Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH published data showing that last year a total of 35,743,948 kilograms of meat and meat products worth 176,444,801 KM (about 90 million euros) were imported into BiH, which is almost seven times more than exports.

He states that 6,888,786 kilograms of meat and meat products worth 28,502,478 KM were exported from BiH.

- Consumers, on the other hand, are questioning the quality of imported meat, where it comes from, how old it is, whether it is fresh or frozen. The strategy for the development of agricultural production, prepared for the period from 2018 to 2021, mentions the need to reduce the constant trend of livestock production. It states that it is difficult to reliably determine the total meat production in BiH due to the lack of accurate data, especially over a longer period, given that it cannot be equated with the number of animals slaughtered in slaughterhouses, adjusted for the difference between imported and exported live animals, Pašalić concluded.