The hardworking Muhović family from Goražde is one of the largest agricultural producers in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On their property in Gornji Kazagići, Emir and Amina Muhović produce tons of various vegetables.
“We cultivate ten thousand square meters of land, of which five thousand square meters are under greenhouses and the rest we cultivate potatoes. Now, in May, we have set up five more greenhouses, which is new 1,000 square meters, and my husband, brother-in-law and I are cultivating everything,” says Amina Muhović.
She states that they started from scratch, with two wooden greenhouses, and that over time they expanded production. Brothers Emir and Edin used to have other jobs through which they could not earn enough. Then they decided to start their own production and register their business as farmers.
“No one trusts us until they see how long our working day is and I usually say that we work ‘from dark to dark’. My husband and brother-in-law get up around five, and I get up around six in the morning and we work until nine, ten o’clock in the evening, as long as it is visible outside, when we sort and pack the products. We sell the goods in Goražde, and a smaller part in Sarajevo“, she adds.
These hardworking people have become recognizable, and their products are in high demand.
“It was not easy to achieve all this because today we produce tens of tons of vegetables of various varieties – peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, beans, eggplant, carrots, cabbage, pumpkin and zucchini, and we have a lot of fruits and apples, so we make jam and other processed products – points out Amina, noting that last year alone they produced 18 tons of cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. All cultures are represented. In the season, from March onwards, they work 18 – 20 hrs. “Someone would just get tired of opening and closing so many greenhouses,” she said.
There is no time for rest, because the Muhović family has both cows and sheep.
“We do everything, in the spring we all sow small seeds together, there are thousands of seedlings, then cleaning, plowing, milling, planting, then fertilizer, there is a lot of work when you are engaged in agriculture, and you have to make up for every lost hour. The problem is that unfortunately there is no market in Goražde, but we manage somehow,” she points out.
She states that they did not have support, except for incentives whose payment is constantly late and its amount is not what it should be, the amount guaranteed by the law, but that does not discourage this family.
“Everything would be much better without the pandemic, we lost a lot of greens, around 80 percent of the lettuce and onions. Everything is uncertain and you can’t plan in this situation, but we will do whatever God wants because customers are most important to us and we care that they are satisfied. There is a lot of sacrifice, effort and work and no one will do this. You give the maximum of yourself and even more. Some don’t believe how much we work, but then they come and see us working“, says Muhović.
