Raspberry cultivation: A secure livelihood for many families in BiH

UNDP has helped many families in BiH secure their own livelihood through various projects, one example being raspberry planting in the municipalities of Donji Vakuf, Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje, Prozor-Rama, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

For planting, a high-quality virus-free raspberry seedling was selected, with guaranteed purchase of the entire yield, as well as certification, in order to place the product on the EU market.

In this project, 74 families without employed members, returnees, single mothers and young people were selected. Sabit Smajić from Donji Vakuf said that the entire family lives from agriculture.

- We planted two dunams and took this seriously. This is of great benefit to us, so we have already prepared the plot for expansion next year – said Smajić.

Through the project, training for new raspberry growers was organized, and professional and technical assistance was provided for plot preparation, destruction, planting and maintenance.  

The agricultural cooperative AT from Donji Vakuf helped in the implementation of the project, and as Nermin Šutković states, there are many unemployed people in this municipality and the economic situation is poor.

- We expect even better results, because this raspberry variety reaches full yield in the second year - said Šutković.

The monthly economic value of raspberries is around 487 KM, and many have already decided to expand production. Funds for this project were provided by the Government of Japan and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway 55%, the municipalities 30%, and the beneficiaries themselves 15%.