The Centre for selective breeding and reproduction of honeybee queens and Laboratory for quality control of honey, established within the EU funded project of Cross Border Cooperation Croatia-BiH ”BEE Promoted”, opened in Bihać on 26 May 2016.
The project contributed to the improvement of the institutional support services for beekeeping entrepreneurs and SMEs and aimed at increasing the quality of their production and placement of honey and other bee products by raising their capacities, optimising queen breeding conditions and strengthening their cooperation.
Massimo Mina, Head of Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross border Cooperation in the EU Delegation to BiH noted the importance of honey as one of the products that BiH has successfully exported to the European Union. ”Three years ago, the European Commission adopted the Decision approving the BiH Residue Monitoring Plan for honey, poultry, eggs and milk, as a result enabling BiH to start exporting honey to the EU. We must continue to spread the word about the benefits of keeping markets open and encouraging greater flows of cross-border trade and investment and contribute to alternative approaches that can spur development and growth, foster economic opportunities, and create jobs”, Mina said.
He also emphasised the importance of honey bees for the environment. ”Projects like this help the preservation of the honey bee population which are endangered species worldwide. And they have an enormuous impact on survival of the human kind”, Mina concluded.
Izudin Saračević, Prime Minister of the Una-Sana Canton commended the efforts of all the participants in the project highlighting the value of cross border cooperation for the Una-Sana Canton.
Zlatko Jusufhodžić, Director of the Veterinary Institute Bihać emphasised the institutional dimension of the project. ”Thanks to this project we will finally have in place the regulations in Federation of BiH for Centres for selective breeding and reproduction of Carniolan honeybee queens that will help us improve the honey production. Moreover, we will develop the study on the impact of honey bees on the environment and vice versa, for the first time in the country”, said Jusufhodžić.
The total value of the project is 649.509,62 EUR and it is financed by the EU within the IPA Cross-Border Programme Croatia-Bosnia and Herzegovina 2007-2013. The lead partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Veterinary Institute Bihać, while the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Centre for Food Technology and Biotechnology Zadar is the lead partner in Croatia. Partners on the project are Development Agency of the Una-Sana Canton, Zadar County, Zadar County Development Agency ZADRA-NOVA, and Association of beekeepers ”Dalmatinka” and ”Iva”.
