A disastrous year for the agriculture sector in Bijeljina. In the largest granary in BIH yield and quality of wheat is below all expectations. Nothing is better either price. Production destroyed. Dissatisfied manufacturers are demanding an immediate response from the authorities and a reduction in the price of bakery products.
That one evil never comes alone - it was shown this year in the food production sector. The poor quality and yields of this year's bread grain crop are accompanied by a never lower purchase price. Manufacturers are next to the collapse.
"We had the most expensive sowing, and never a lower purchase price. Never the lower gender, which is an even bigger problem," said agricultural producer Miko Rikanović.
"Expectations have failed. There is no yield that is foreseen. And in addition to the poor yield, the problem is the purchase price. We are offered 30 fening, even less, depending on the quality. However, the production itself was historically the most expensive," says agricultural producer Ilija Cvijetinović.
When forming a ransom price, power is powerless. The initiative to protect domestic production in the form of a ban on imports remains "on the table".
"We have to understand that these are stock exchange goods where no country can influence the price of purchase, it is free trade, as with oil, you cannot say that someone buys at a certain price," explains Savo Minić, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the RS (SNSD).
"The RS government has approached the Ministry of Foreign Trade regarding protective measures, the ministry will initiate proceedings and propose to the Council of Ministers for adoption," said Stasa Košarac, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH (SNSD).
In all likelihood - nothing will come of this measure this year either. Poor yield cannot cover domestic needs for bread grain and we expect increased imports. Therefore, it is also questionable what will be the price of flour and bakery products.
"It is obvious that there will have to be wheat imports, and wheat is a stock exchange commodity and prices will depend on supply and demand. We do not yet know what the purchase price will be, so when it comes to the price of bakery products it is difficult to forecast anything. For now, the prices are as they are and we hope that there will be no price increase," said Radenko Pelemiš, president of the Association of Bakers of the Bijeljina region.
Farmers are dissatisfied. They are asking the authorities to act urgently. The price of bread, they say, is incredibly high. For a long time, they have pointed to the absurd behavior of the authorities that oil and fuel prices are monitored only when they are going up and used as a reason for price hikes, while the decline is completely ignored.
"Some things are completely illogical - if the price of wheat is small, why is the price of bread high? If last year wheat paid 64 fenings and bread was 1.80 KM, I do not see why on this price of wheat bread is now at the same price?" said Boško Radić, president of the Association of Agricultural Producers of the Village of Semberije.
"If wheat is now 30 fening, why is bread not 90 fening? No one takes care. We were released down the water. How can we not react?" said Rikanović.