Improvement of MAP distillation and cultivation technologies

The purpose of the Fostering Agricultural Markets Activity (FARMA) is to provide technical assistance in Bosnia Herzegovina’s (BiH) agricultural subsectors through demand driven assistance aimed at improved competitiveness of BiH agricultural products. FARMA is to expand environmentally sustainable production, processing and sales of value-added agricultural products. FARMA will help BiH to accomplish several critical objectives, such as increasing agricultural competitiveness, meeting EU accession standards, reducing poverty by expanding environmentally sustainable production, and increasing sales, exports, and employment.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina there are seven large distilleries and a number of smaller ones. Currently in BiH there is production of approximately 3.000 kg of different kinds of essential oils; immortelle 500 kg, sage 1000 kg, juniper 300 kg, lavender 600 kg, pine 200 kg, laurel 200 kg, smaller quantities of balm, mint and other plants. Most of it is successfully exported.

In July 2011 FARMA organized the visit of an expert to improve the production of hydrolate, which is the by-product of distillation. It was noticed that the technology of the distillation could be improved with minor changes, which would help increase the yield of essential oil. Also, the process of distillation could be shortened if the quality of steam was to be improved, which directly leads to improved efficiency and saving energy.