IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS, FOREIGN TRADE AMOUNTED TO BAM 6,291,210,000

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 21 /SRNA/ - The total foreign trade of Republika Srpska in the first six months of this year amounted to BAM 6,291,210,000, of which BAM 3,677,874,000 accounted for imports and BAM 2,613,336,000 for exports.

Republika Srpska’s largest foreign trade partners in the first half of 2025 were Serbia with more than 17 percent, Italy with about 12 percent, followed by Croatia with just over 11 percent, Germany with about 9.5 percent, Slovenia with 7.67 percent, China with 5.69 percent, and Austria with 5.46 percent, according to information on Republika Srpska’s foreign trade for the January–June 2025 period, adopted today by the Government.

Those seven countries accounted for 69.10 percent of Republika Srpska’s foreign trade, the Government’s Public Relations Bureau announced.

A press release emphasized that all indicators of Republika Srpska’s foreign trade in the first six months of 2025 improved compared to the same period in 2024.

In the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year, Republika Srpska recorded a 4.81 percent increase in foreign trade, with imports up by 3.49 percent, exports up by 6.74 percent, and the export-to-import ratio improving by 2.16 percentage points, reaching 71 percent.

The overall deficit was reduced by BAM 41,040,000, amounting to BAM 1,064,538,000.

The Ministry of Trade and Tourism continuously carries out activities to promote the consumption of domestic products, which has a positive impact on foreign trade indicators, the press release added.

In this regard, the Ministry is implementing the campaign “Ours is Better”, aimed at raising consumer awareness that by purchasing domestic products, they support local production, thereby reducing the foreign trade deficit and strengthening the economy of Republika Srpska.

In addition, for years, the Ministry has been organizing conferences under the title “Branding Domestic Products – Ours is Better,” intending to raise awareness about the importance of branding local products in order to create domestic brands that can compete with foreign ones.

The Ministry also seeks, in cooperation with large shopping centers in Republika Srpska, to secure greater participation and better positioning of domestic products on their shelves, as well as additional labeling to make them more recognizable and visible.