Supporting young farmers is one of the key priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management, and Forestry of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minister Kemal Hrnjić stated during a visit to several farms in the Sanski Most municipality.
According to Hrnjić, the ministry has implemented special policies and incentives to encourage young farmers to remain and thrive in rural areas.
“We have significantly increased agricultural funding to protect the agrarian sector and especially to keep young people in villages. Specifically, in Sanski Most, we invested around 3.8 million marks in incentive funds last year, and we plan to continue at the same pace this year,” Hrnjić emphasized.
The Federation of BiH budget proposal for this year includes an allocation of 183 million marks for agriculture.
“What makes me particularly happy is visiting young farmers who have decided to stay in rural areas and engage in milk production. They are satisfied with our incentive policies, and I am pleased to see them modernizing their production and implementing new technologies. We will continue to support them in this effort,” Hrnjić stated.
Automated Dairy Farms—The Future of Agriculture
One such farmer is Mehmed Alagić from Fajtovci, near Sanski Most, who took over his family’s farm seven years ago after finishing high school.
Over the years, he has significantly improved the farm, increased the number of livestock, and boosted milk production.
“We currently have around 70 cows, 50 of which are for milking, producing 800 liters of milk daily. The milking process is fully automated, carried out by robots. All livestock data is updated electronically, including feeding schedules. I was one of the first in the Federation of BiH to introduce this system, and it is the future of dairy farming,” Alagić said.
He added that he is now satisfied with the incentive policies at the municipal, cantonal, and federal levels, noting that thanks to these incentives, farming has become much easier than in previous years.
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Challenges in Land Subsidies
Another young farmer, Samir Kuburić, who owns 60 cows and produces 600 liters of milk daily, shares a similar opinion.
“The current incentive policies are mostly beneficial for farmers, but there are still some issues with land subsidies. The system currently recognizes only landowners for subsidies, whereas leaseholders and concessionaires are left out. This needs to change,” Kuburić pointed out.
Keeping Young People in Rural Areas
Due to ongoing migration trends, fewer young people are staying in villages. Rural life is increasingly unattractive to younger generations, and one of the biggest challenges is the lack of available labor.
For this reason, it is crucial to have adequate support from all levels of government to ensure the survival of young farmers and the future of agricultural production.
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Source: Nezavisne, Foto: iStock