Protecting the domestic production is a priority, Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Minister Stasa Kosarac told reporters on Monday, following a meeting with the representatives of Bosnia's largest companies dealing with meat import and processing.

The minister asked the local companies processing meat to halt the import for 30 days and focus on local slaughterhouses, which will, according to him, bring results.

“In this way, we're going to reduce the surplus of our production in Bosnia and Herzegovina and enable further development of the processing industry capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also enable closer cooperation between these two components – the primary agricultural producers and processing industry, and I believe this is the only way to protect the domestic production,” said Kosarac.

He also hopes Bosnia and Herzegovina will resume the trade exchange with Turkey within the next seven days but also that some new markets will open for the country, primarily in the European Union.

“I discussed this topic with Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Johann Sattler on many occasions. I was convinced that this will be on agenda once we deliver adequately filled questionnaire. I believe we will succeed in this,” said the minister.

If the planned arrangement on import of meat i.e. the cooperation between local slaughterhouses and processing industry fails, Kosarac stressed, it will be necessary to reconsider certain financial duties on import of meat.

“We believe it is necessary to have domestic production clearly represented in a percentage of up to 50%. That would be an incentive to primary production and processing industry both in Republika Srpska and the Federation (Bosnia's two semi-autonomous regions),” he added.