He says that it is the best bee by all characteristics for this area.
Twenty-eight-year-old Kosta Šumar from Pale continues the family tradition and has serious plans for agricultural production related to the artificial fertilization of bee queens, which would make him the first in the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of BiH to deal with this.
The forester tells Srna that he was in the Czech Republic for training in artificial fertilization of bee queens, which he plans to do in the coming seasons.
“This will affect the improvement of bee production, both here and throughout BiH. I will work on the conservation and breeding of the Apis mellifera Carnica bee. It is a honey bee that has always been present in our areas,” explains Šumar.
He says that it is the best bee by all characteristics for this area.
Šumar has a master’s degree at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food in Sarajevo and says that so far no one has worked on the subject of his master’s thesis, which is related to the artificial insemination of queens, and that he is the only beekeeper who will deal with it.
He says that his beehives are located at the foot of the Romanija mountain, in the village of Podmjedenik, which is 17 kilometers away from Pale, and that he plans to raise production to a higher level.
The forester points out that he has 100 beehives and that he is keeping his grandfather’s tradition.
“I started beekeeping and honey production as a hobby, and later it grew into a great love. With the current capacity, we can cover the current demand at the doorstep, which is from 600 kilos to a ton,” says Šumar.
In addition to honey, Kosta also produces royal jelly, propolis, perga, wax, all of high healing properties.
“Rarely anyone produces royal jelly and perga, especially younger beekeepers. It is not demanding, there is work, but I like to work a lot. My father and brother help me during the honey churning, which used to happen in August and September, but now there are more pastures, so it churns from April onwards. Every year for beekeepers is different and cannot be compared with the previous one,” explains Šumar.
There are various types of honey – acacia, meadow, forest, various flower honeys, everything that is represented in the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, says Šumar and adds that one of the better quality he makes is forest honey.
To turn to a healthy rural life
Šumar states that hardly any of the young people in Pale would accept life in the countryside, but when looking at the bigger picture – it is high time for everyone to turn to a healthy rural life.
He emphasizes that all beekeepers’ help is provided in the form of subsidies through the Pale Beekeepers Association, the Pale municipality, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that stronger support and motivation is needed.
According to him, in addition to the mentioned support, new laws have been adopted to help young people in agriculture, which is a great progress and is of great help to farmers.
“With stronger support and motivation, every farmer will improve production”, says Šumar and points out that agricultural production requires discipline, motivation and is done daily, not periodically.
Network of young agro-entrepreneurs – an opportunity to exchange experiences
Šumar is a member of the Network of Young Entrepreneurs and participated in the Conference of Young Agro-Entrepreneurs held in Obudovac.
He believes that young farmers are supported there, they exchange experiences and knowledge, but also promote their own products from all parts of Republika Srpska and beyond.
The forester urges everyone to buy local, for the sake of agricultural development, and tells young farmers not to leave their land.
Source: akta.ba
