Funding from the Instrument for Pre-Accession [2009] finances a project which has produced independent and objective sector analyses of selected agriculture sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Meat and Dairy, Fruits and Vegetables, Cereals (wheat and maize) and the Wine sector as well as a special sector analysis on the possibilities for diversification of economic activities in rural areas.

The sector analyses map the situation in each of these sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina and provide recommendations for policy interventions that will contribute to the modernization of the sectors, increasing competitiveness and fulfilling the requirements of EU standards.

These analyses could be later used by the beneficiary institutions in their preparation of an IPARD programme.

During October 2011, several workshops were organised for local stakeholders at the Federal Agro Mediterranean Institute in Mostar, the University of Banja Luka and the the University of Sarajevo.

The aim of the workshops was to discuss the preliminary conclusions and recommendations of the sector analyses.

Agricultural producers and processing companies, entity agricultural ministries, municipalities and cantons, NGOs and international organisations, research institutions, the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, the BiH Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and FAO [Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations] Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe participated in the workshop.

The workshop for the wine sector was held in Citluk on 19 October, while workshops for the cereals sector and the diversification sector were held on 20 and 21 October, and on 6 and 7 October, respectively in Sarajevo and Banja Luka.

The workshops for the meat and dairy sector took place in Sarajevo on 27 October and in Banja Luka on 28 October. Workshops for the fruits and vegetables sector will be held on 10 November in Sarajevo and on 11 November in Banja Luka.

The participants of these workshops are being informed on the findings of the sector analyses as well as on the draft recommendations regarding the EU IPARD programme to support the agricultural sectors. The goal is also to make a platform for open stakeholder discussions about the initial findings, aiming to include stakeholders’ opinion and thereby improve the initial findings.

The project is financed by the European Union from the Instrument for the Pre-accession Assistance [2009] to the tune of 500,000 Euro.