BiH farmers association urges disaster declaration over drought

The Farmers' Association of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has called on cantonal governments to declare a state of natural disaster over prolonged drought, warning that the situation in the agricultural sector has become unsustainable, local news agency Fena reported Sunday.



The association said the drought had caused heavy losses to agricultural producers, with yields of some crops falling by more than 50 percent. Meanwhile, the autumn planting season is approaching, while prices of raw materials and other agricultural inputs continue to rise.



According to data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO), whose records date back to 2012, BiH was among nine European countries that experienced their driest August since the records began.



Nedzad Bico, president of the association, said the high cost of planting would affect the prices of domestic agricultural products. He said planting costs had risen amid conflicts in the Middle East, while prices of fuel, fertilizer and seeds had also increased significantly.