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For five years now, the Sušić family from Vikići, near Bihać, has been successfully producing blueberries, thanks to the help of the FBiH Ministry of Agriculture, through the IFAD project, which is focused on developing the agricultural sector, procured equipment for processing and producing juices and jams.
According to Nusret Sušić, so far, they have been selling the entire fresh blueberry crop to buyers, and now they will be able to produce their own products.
– This will enable us to offer our blueberry in the form of a final product to the domestic market, and we plan to hire new workers – says Sušić.
According to him, the coronavirus pandemic did not affect the production and purchase of blueberries, which is still in high demand. During the past year, they produced about 11.5 tons of this berry, which they grow in the form of bushes on an area of 25 dunums.
– It is a completely healthy and ecological product, because blueberries are grown without the use of any chemical preparations, in pots with a special type of soil – says Sušić.
He points out that with a normal yield per month, one can earn around 10,000 BAM per hectare, but he points out that cultivation is neither cheap nor easy.
– Growing blueberries is very different from growing other fruits. It is very sensitive to water quality, soil and terrain preparation. It requires constant attention, irrigation, but also the purchase of quality seedlings. The first earnings can be expected only after three years. If everything is done properly, on average, about 15 tons of blueberries can be obtained per hectare – explains Sušić.
He adds that in recent years there has been a great demand for blueberries in the European market and that the advantage is that this crop only thrives in our area in June and July, when it reaches its highest price due to market shortages.
Nutritionists say that this berry contains substances that reduce the risk of accumulation of fat deposits, and thus heart disease, and their consumption contributes to better learning, improved motor skills and slowing down dementia.
– There is an increasing number of agricultural producers in the Una-Sana Canton who decide to plant and grow blueberries, and it is assumed that this crop is currently planted on more than seven hectares of land – explained the Agricultural Institute Una-Sana Canton.
