TİKA Supports the Development of Bee Products in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided beekeeping equipment to families living in the municipality of Sanski Most in the Una-Sana Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood of 40% of the 24,475 people living in the municipality of Sanski Most in the Una-Sana Canton. Local people, who are engaged in agriculture and viticulture in rural areas, generate side income by increasing their yield through beekeeping, which ensures pollination.

Founded in 2002, Sanski Most Sana-Med Beekeepers’ Association is a non-governmental organization aiming to contribute to the development of beekeeping and honey production with its 122 members. This non-profit organization provides training for the industry, especially for its members who are engaged in beekeeping, and carries out various activities for the promotion of beekeeping products, the implementation of new technologies, and the protection of bees. This NGO, which had 3,500 hives, could produce an average of approximately 10 kg of honey per hive. However, honey production dropped to 6 kg per hive due to recent seasonal changes and the lack of necessary care for bee colonies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TİKA provided a total of 1,220 beehive bottom boards with pollen traps to 122 families living in the municipality of Sanski Most in order to counterbalance the decrease in production and expand the product range.

The delivery ceremony of the project, which was implemented to ensure that the type of honey produced in the region has the highest pollen count and provides producers with side income, was attended by Muhammed Ünal, TİKA’s Sarajevo Coordinator; Asmir Lišančić, President of the Sanski Most Sana-Med Association; beekeepers; and local media organizations.

In his speech at the ceremony, President Asmir Lišančić noted that 2020 was a difficult year for them due to the fight against the pandemic and seasonal changes and that they suffered some losses. Lišančić stated that they were very pleased with the support provided by TİKA, and underlined that local beekeepers could recover their lost income by expanding their product range.

In his speech, Muhammed Ünal, TİKA’s Sarajevo Coordinator, stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina is an ideal country for agricultural production due to its rich vegetation. He added that TİKA has conducted many training programs in this field within the scope of the “Balkans and Eastern European Countries Food and Life Safety Support Programs.” Ünal noted that they provided beekeepers with beehive bottom boards with pollen traps manufactured in Turkey, in order to enable families living in rural areas and suffering loss of income to maintain their current standards of living. He underlined that they would support these families as much as they could.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, which offers excellent natural conditions for beekeeping thanks to its different climate zones, natural meadows, and rich vegetation, there are a total of 3,700 different plant species suitable for natural honey production, including 700 medicinal and aromatic plants.

In the country, 53% of which is covered by forests, blossom honey and sage honey are produced in the southern parts, while heather honey is produced in the southwestern parts, and chestnut honey, which has a high mineral content, is produced in the northwestern parts.