At the City Administration of Bijeljina, a decision was awarded to the Association of Agricultural Producers ‘Semberski kupus’ (Semberija cabbage) for the protection of the indication of geographical origin of Semberija cabbage, a process they diligently worked on for the past two years.
 
Mayor Ljubiša Petrović expressed his gratitude to Dr. Dragan Zarić, who attended the ceremony on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, as well as the Head of the Section of the Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and above all, the hardworking local agricultural producers from the Association ‘Semberski kupus’.
“After two years of dedicated efforts and intensive work by the city’s Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with international partners from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), today we witness the ceremonial awarding of the certificate for the protection of indication of geographical origin of Semberija cabbage, which becomes the sixteenth product in Bosnia and Herzegovina to receive such certification. The next chapter for the City is to protect Semberija cabbage within the European Union, a long and challenging process that we will embark on together once again, aiming to facilitate market entry and open new markets for a product for which Bijeljina has been recognized for decades,” stated the Mayor of Bijeljina. He also announced that the City plans to introduce new agrarian policies next year, specifically targeting the production of this crop.
 
“Our goal is to enhance both production and processing capacities. The City of Bijeljina takes pride in its wide range of economic activities, from cabbage production to aircraft turbine repairs, which is why we are committed to strengthening all branches of the economy, as it is the driving force behind the development of any society,” Petrović concluded.
 
Semberija cabbage is now protected under rules and procedures that align with those in the EU. The next step, if deemed necessary by the agricultural associations, is the process of protecting the indication of geographical origin of Semberija cabbage within the EU market. This is crucial because such protection adds value to the product, enabling it to achieve higher prices in foreign markets.
“It took two years to meet the prescribed criteria, as the Food Safety Agency made certain recommendations to the Council of Ministers, which then adopted several bylaws, ensuring that the protection of the indication of geographical origin was defined in an identical manner,” said Džemil Hajrić, Director of the Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He added that the City Administration of Bijeljina, the Association of Agricultural Producers ‘Semberski kupus’, the Food Safety Agency, and the Commission for the Protection of Indications, formed by the Council of Ministers, which includes representatives from the Agency and entity-level ministries of agriculture, participated in the process of obtaining this certificate, ensuring a synchronized effort that led to the successful completion of the certification procedure.