KUZMIĆ: MORE THAN BAM 200 MILLION INVESTED IN FLOOD PROTECTION

BANJA LUKA, DECEMBER 6 /SRNA/ – The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska, Anđelka Kuzmić, says that since 2014 more than BAM 200 million has been directly invested in the flood protection system.

“An additional BAM 80 million has been invested indirectly through machinery, projects, and other equipment. This is the work we will keep up with in the coming period. We must focus on cleaning and maintenance. The Republika Srpska Government will allocate funds for this. We have to protect both people and infrastructure,” Kuzmić stated in SRNA podcast. Reflecting on the 2014 floods in Doboj, Kuzmić noted that she is from that city, and at the time it seemed that recovery would be impossible, but now, after multimillion investments in water protection, the situation is significantly safer. “I have witnessed how much Republika Srpska and the City Administration have done to protect our city from future floods. More than BAM 4.5 million has been invested there,” Kuzmić emphasized. She says thet Ministry representatives have recently visited Šamac, Prijedor, Modriča, and other places affected by floods in the past. She also pointed out that the business performance of the Srpska Forests enterprise will be significantly better by the end of the year because the Government’s measures are yielding results, adding that no resource will be allowed to deteriorate. She says that problems are being openly discussed, meaning that no information is being hidden from the public. She said that higher production is expected in the Srpska Forests and stressed that those responsible for the poor condition must face consequences. “Everyone must take responsibility. We, as ministers, will submit a report to the prime minister. That is how everyone should operate. Everyone is responsible for their part of the job. At the end of the year, we can identify where the system’s chain failed and where problems arose. We will uncover the problems, and those responsible will face consequences,” Kuzmić said. Speaking about autumn sowing, she noted that 66,000 hectares of land have been planted, with wheat once again being the dominant crop. “About 43,000 hectares are under wheat, and the rest under other crops. We expect the value of the yield to be around BAM 159 million. It is important to note that climatic conditions were ideal this year - there was plenty of precipitation and the soil was moist,” Kuzmić said in the SRNA podcast. She pointed out that around BAM 80 million in incentives was registered through the system this year, and that more than 60 percent of the funds have been paid out.