Discussion on digitalization in agriculture and water management with World Bank’s team

Minister Hrnjić met with the head of the World Bank Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christopher Sheldon to discuss the ongoing and planned projects in agriculture and water management.

They exchanged views on the activities carried out so far and assessed them as positive, in particular the Water Services Improvement Program of the Federation of BiH and the Decision on the Adoption of the Methodology for Establishing the Lowest Basic Water Tariff in the FBiH. These documents will serve as the basis for the process of improving the water services sector and the modernization of utility companies, the economic reform of water tariffs and access to credit and grant funds from international development partners for capital infrastructure projects in this sector.

Minister Hrnjić thanked the World Bank for the successful cooperation so far, hoping for its further development on projects in agriculture and water management. Together with his colleagues, he assessed that the Water Services Modernization Project, the Integrated Development of the Sava and Drina River Corridors Program and the Agriculture Resilience and Competitiveness Project are important and require full commitment.

Mr. Sheldon pointed out that the three proposed projects, worth 67 million euros, would greatly contribute to the improvement of water services, better management of the Sava and Drina river basins, and improvement of resilience and competitiveness of agriculture in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We are glad that there is commitment to invest in computerization and digitization, and this brings hope that the agriculture and water management sectors will go through positive changes that we are ready to work on together. The projects endorsed by World Bank, with its decades long experience in implementing projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are extremely important for agriculture in the Federation, but also for the improvement of the overall socio-economic situation,” said Minister Hrnjić.