1. PROJECT TITLE: STARTING OF A MILK PROCESSING PLANT IN PRNJAVOR MUNICIPALITY
2. SECTOR: Agriculture, food production, milk processing
3. LOCATION: City of Prnjavor, Business Zone Vijaka
4. BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION: It is a greenfield investment, i.e. the construction of a completely new milk processing facility in the Municipality of Prnjavor in the business zone of Vijaka. Initially, the planned processing should be approximately 5 000 liters of cow’s milk, and within a 4-year period, that level of…
1. PROJECT TITLE: STARTING OF A MILK PROCESSING PLANT IN PRNJAVOR MUNICIPALITY
2. SECTOR: Agriculture, food production, milk processing
3. LOCATION: City of Prnjavor, Business Zone Vijaka
4. BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION: It is a greenfield investment, i.e. the construction of a completely new milk processing facility in the Municipality of Prnjavor in the business zone of Vijaka. Initially, the planned processing should be approximately 5 000 liters of cow’s milk, and within a 4-year period, that level of 25 000 l/day of raw milk processing should be reached. The long-term goal is to achieve milk processing of 100 000 liters per day. The basis of production is cheese, and to a lesser extent some other products such as yogurts or other beverages. The initiator of the project is the Association of Agricultural Producers – Dairy of the Republic of Srpska.
5. DETAILED PROJECT DATA
5.1. WHAT KIND OF PROJECT IS IT?
The project is an initiative of the Association of Agricultural Producers – Dairy of the Republic of Srpska. It is an association that today has almost 440 members and produces about 40% of milk in Srpska, or 17% in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a greenfield investment, i.e. the construction of a completely new milk processing facility in the Municipality of Prnjavor in the business zone of Vijaka. The planned processing should initially be about 5 000 liters of cow’s milk, and up to 25 000 l of milk/day in accordance with market needs and market requirements. The plan is to ensure a gradual increase in production, so that within a 4-year period the level of 25 000 l/day of raw milk processing is reached.
Long-term plans are to reach a processing level of 100 000 liters of milk per day, with the fact that the facility will need to be further expanded. A conceptual project has already been drawn up, which defines that the future building will consist of two floors with a total area of 3788.1 m2, namely the ground floor and the basement.
The ground floor is rectangular in shape and has a total area of 2343.6 m2.
Consists of:
– Administrative + production space with a gross area of 1466.4 m2,
– Covered manipulative space 340.4 m2,
– Energy block – ground floor 536.8 m2 i
– Porter’s office 28 m2.
The majority of the space is occupied by the production facility with a clear height of 3.8m. The production facility is equipped with automated equipment for handling raw and processed milk. Rooms in the administrative part as well as the part of the offices directly related to production need not necessarily have a clear height of 3.8 m.
The basement consists of two parts, namely:
– Production space 1221 m2 i
– Energy block basement 195.5 m2.
Ripening, storage and distribution are planned in the basement. Access to the basement for workers is via a staircase located directly next to the sanitary barrier on the ground floor. The characteristic of this floor is that it is partially buried, according to the technologist’s advice (to save energy for cooling the space). The base will be a metal structure, and the walls and partitions inside the building will be made of panels. This principle is being considered, with regard to faster construction and easier implementation of possible changes for the needs of future expansions. Next to the main building, it is necessary to build a technical-energy building. The plan is to use pellets and/or gas as an energy source in the operation of the plant. In the facility that is the subject of the investment, the goal is to provide the maximum possible environmentally responsible operation. In this regard, conditions for harmless waste water management will be provided. The plant will use the best available techniques in the sector of milk processing and waste water management in accordance with the current legal regulations and the implementing Decision of the Commission (European) no. 2019/2031, and domestic legal acts that legally resolve these issues.
The founders of this company are members of the Association of Agricultural Producers – Dairies of the Republic of Srpska. Ownership in the company is held by all members of the Association, i.e. 431 members who paid membership fees on July 22, 2022), which was determined through the entry of the Association of Agricultural Producers – Dairies of the Republic of Srpska. Additionally, 16 members of the Association invested their own funds in the amount of BAM 3 000 to 17 000, with shares from 2.25 to 12.77%.
The plan is to provide a part of the funds through the direct participation of investors, through the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, then through credit funds and donor funds..
5.2. PROJECT DOCUMENTATION STATUS
The feasibility study was done even before the decision on the location was made, and based on it, the decision was made that it should be in Prnjavor. At the moment, the conceptual design has been completed and the issue of land at disposal has been resolved (our dairy has taken possession of the land for the construction of the dairy). In the process of creating urban-technical conditions, for the purpose of obtaining location conditions and creating the main construction project.
5.3. REASONS TO INVEST IN THE PROJECT
In 2022, the Association conducted a survey with the aim of examining the needs and demand for domestic milk products, but also about the level of knowledge of domestic products in general. To the question “is there enough domestic dairy products on the market”, out of 82 respondents, 59 answered that there is not. To the question: “Is the supply of traditional BiH dairy products sufficient?”, as many as 69.1% of respondents answered that it was not. So, there is a demand for domestic products and a desire to buy a domestic product. However, the most important information that should be mentioned is the reaction of the respondents to the question: “Do traditional dairy products have sufficient promotion?”. 87.8% or 72 respondents said no. That was certainly one of the main motives for us to start this initiative and try to enrich the domestic offer of cheeses, as well as the HoReCa offer of BiH. Import and export of milk and milk products.
Foreign trade exchange
When we talk about the foreign trade exchange of milk and milk products, it has been in favor of imports for years. Namely, Bosnia and Herzegovina is dependent on imports. More about exchange structures in the following tables.

Analysing the data in table 4, it can be seen that the largest part of milk and milk products is imported by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2021, FBiH imported almost 90% of the total imported milk and dairy products, or BAM 156 million, out of BAM 174.7 million of total imports. If we consider that in 2021, about 280 million liters of milk were produced and purchased in BiH and with an average purchase price of 0.62 BAM/l, BAM 173 million were paid, it can be concluded that the value of imports is greater than the value of produced raw milk.

The export of milk lags significantly behind the import. The participation of the Republic of Srpska in the total export is very small, and it is only a quarter, or 27.2%, and in the last 3 years the participation of the RS in exports has been trending downward. If we compare tables 4 and 5, the data indicate that BiH exports products with a low degree of processing. Thus, in 2021, on average, one kilogram of exported milk or milk products costs BAM 1.15. On the other hand, the value of a kilogram of imported milk, i.e. milk products, amounted to almost BAM 3.30.
When we talk about the import of specific products, the following table presents the products that are the most imported:

In 2021, exactly 80 different milk products were imported into Bosnia and Herzegovina in the amount of 53 522 205.46 kg and the total value of BAM 174 699 059.97. Six products from table number 5 make up 49.2% of total imports. These are all cheeses that we can produce ourselves, but it is also a question of the responsibility of domestic buyers.
Potential markets
In the very beginning, that is, in the first few years, the dairy will focus on the domestic market, and only with some 5-10% of the capacity in finding the market will be invested in conquering foreign markets. When we talk about the market within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the goal is to first acquire customers in the Banja Luka and Doboj regions. These include the cities and municipalities: Banja Luka, Kneževo, Kotor Varoš, Laktaši, Prnjavor, Čelinac, Gradiška, Srbac, Doboj, Teslić, Stanari, Derventa, Petrovo, Brod, Modriča, Vukosavlje and Šamac. After that, the plan is to expand to other markets in BiH, especially Sarajevo, Trebinje, Tuzla, Bijeljina and Mostar. When we talk about placement abroad, CEFTA and EU countries will receive it. But it is also related to production growth trends.
When it comes to product placement, it will be implemented in three ways, namely: a) through retail chains (markets), b) through a store within the processing plant, and c) catering services.
1) Market chains.
The plan is to contact the following chains in order to sell the goods: Fortuna, KORT, Tropic, Bingo and Market AS.
2) A shop will be opened within the facility.
It will sell all products intended for retail chains and additional fresh milk, which will be sold to order. In connection with this, an online application will be made, so that customers can reserve fresh milk earlier. Fresh milk will be sold in returnable glass packaging. In the future, the plan is to open a store in Banja Luka.
3) HoReCa
A special segment in product marketing will be product marketing in the tourism and catering sector. In this regard, it is planned to make product packaging according to the requirements of restaurants, hotels and catering establishments. Significant attention will be given to the development of products that are used in food preparation or in general in the restaurant offer in restaurants and hotels. Also, the facility will have one room for the preparation of cheese plates, that is, for the preparation of food for catering services. The goal is to make this product essentially a marketing product, but also a product for “quick money”. The main market for the sale of these products is weddings, celebrations, business events and the like. The product will be called “Mljekarska plata”(Dairy plate) and there will be several different types of bread on offer, according to size and composition. It will be delivered through commercial services that deliver food, and at the location (in the store). The plan is also to buy a smaller caddy with cooling system.
Competition at the domestic level
When it comes to cheese production in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is insufficient, so there is no real competition on the domestic market. Of course, we should mention the dairies Milanković, Prnjavor, Livanjska mljekara and Puđa, both from Livno and Pađeni dairy.
On the other hand, there are a large number of foreign dairies, such as Zelene Doline, Slovenia, Paladin (international chain), Šabacka and Suboticka dairies from Serbia, and various German and Austrian dairies.
However, it should be emphasized that all these dairies buy milk from producers, which to some extent limits their competitiveness. On the other hand, our milk will be processed in our facility.
Demand for milk and milk products at the world level
According to data from the World Food and Agriculture Organisation and the OECD, the global demand for milk and milk products will grow in almost all parts of the world. Expectations are that in most of the most important markets, due to the reduction of arable land (land erosion, increase of urban areas to the detriment of agricultural land, processes of returning the land to its natural state – EU, etc.) there will be either a decrease in production or a decrease, i.e. stopping the growth of milk production, which will affect the possibility of supply. In this regard, new producers, i.e. new capacities have a chance to achieve benefits in this market.

6. PROJECT FINANCING
6.1. STATE THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE PROJECT IN EUROS
Total value of investment: 4.728.000,00 €
Of that, the value of building the facility: 1.900.000,00 €

6.2. PLANNED FINANCING SOURCES
RS Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management: 260.000,00 €
Other donors: 1.800.000,00 €
Own funds:
Of which credit funds: 2.600.000,00 €
Own funds from other sources: 68.000,00 €
6.3. INPUT BY LOCAL PARTNER
Credit funds: 2.600.000,00 €
Own funds from other sources: 68.000,00 €
RS Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Managemen: 260.000,00 €
6.4. INPUT BY INVESTOR
1.800.000,00 €
7. HAS THE PHYSICAL LOCATION BEEN DETERMINED FOR PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION?
When choosing the location, the investor was guided by the conclusions of the Feasibility Study from 2020, which took into account 5 municipalities in the Krajina region, where the largest number of our growers are located. After the selection of the municipality, the selection of the construction site itself was preceded by communication with the representatives of the Municipality of Prnjavor, and the investor’s position that the location must provide good access, visibility and representativeness. Based on these initial facts, it was decided to build the facility in the “Vijaka” Business Zone. The plot of interest has an area of 18 536 m2. This location is located about 1 000 meters from the main road Klašnica – Derventa, next to an asphalted local road, 3.5 meters wide with the possibility of an extension of another 4.0 meters. The location is 3.5 km from the exit to the 9 January highway, which further leads to Sarajevo and Belgrade, and Banja Luka and Zagreb. Electricity and water supply are brought to about five hundred meters from this location.
Sketch 1 and 2, the location planned for the construction of the plant.


The location is above the road, and is visible to road users. In this context, the plan is to use this position in a promotional way. The site has a slight slope. At the beginning of the site, at the elevation near the local road, the altitude is from 176 to 178 m, while at the bottom of the plot (towards the highway), the altitude is from 158 to 163 m. The land is owned by the investor.
8. HAVE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES ALREADY STARTED?
The feasibility study was done even before the decision on the location was made, and based on it, the decision was made that it should be in Prnjavor. At the moment, the conceptual design has been completed and the issue of land at disposal has been resolved (our dairy has taken possession of the land for the construction of the dairy). In the process of creating urban-technical conditions, for the purpose of obtaining location conditions and creating the main construction project.
9. PROJECT APPLICANT WITH CONTACT INFORMATION
OUR DAIRY LLB BANJA LUKA (НАША МЉЕКАРА Д.О.О. БАЊА ЛУКА)
Contact: Director, Dr Miljan Erbez
Address: Knjaza Miloša 21, 78000 Banja Luka
Telephone: 051 492 997
www.mljekarirs.com, nasamljekara@gmail.com