KUZMIĆ: RAKIJA AS BRAND - ONE OF SRPSKA'S FINEST AMBASSADORS

LAKTAŠI, OCTOBER 23 /SRNA/ — Rakija is one of Republika Srpska's best ambassadors, given that it travels to Serbia, the EU, China, and the USA, said Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management Anđelka Kuzmić at the opening of the Third "Rakije Srpske" Festival in Trn near Laktaši.

Kuzmić stated that Republika Srpska has 122 registered distilleries and that more than three million liters of rakija are produced in Srpska annually.

She noted that Republika Srpska accounts for 85 percent of all spirits exported from BiH.

In this year alone, according to Kuzmić, the Ministry allocated BAM 13.5 million for this sector, including more than BAM 9 million for industrial processing and around BAM 4 million for equipment procurement.

"All of this has produced results on the ground, and I am grateful to all our producers who have shown and proven that we have the quality to present our product in any country in the world," Kuzmić told journalists.

Goran Račić, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Republika Srpska, emphasized that Srpska has high-quality rakija production and that the Chamber aims to protect rakija as intellectual property and further promote various rakija producers.

He pointed out that rakija is one of the products maintaining a foreign trade surplus for Srpska, noting that rakija exports in the first eight months were double the imports.

"Regarding markets, we export the most to Serbia, followed by Slovakia and Croatia," Račić said.

The Mayor of Laktaši Miroslav Bojić said the atmosphere at the Festival was excellent and thanked the Government of Republika Srpska for its support.

"Congratulations to all exhibitors; we have around 40 domestic distilleries and 10 from Serbia, alongside food, coffee and other product exhibitors. The most important thing is that we spend quality time together, exchange experiences and continue in this direction," Bojić said.

The "Rakije Srpske" Festival is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska, the Chamber of Commerce of Srpska, and the City of Laktaši.