The 170-page study, prepared by 37 experts in cooperation with local family-run farms, underscores that Banovina has good conditions for growing the crops such as maize, oats, barley, rye, hay and silage as well as plums and chestnuts or, for instance, miscanthus or silvergrass which can be burnt directly in biomass boilers, or processed further (pellets, briquettes).
Presenting the document in the town of Sunja, academician Franjo Tomić said that one of the problems for the agricultural revival was the fragmentation of land plots and lack of irrigation.
Also a lack of labour force could pose a problem for large-scale vegetable production, he added.
The area offers favourable conditions, such as unpolluted environment, for livestock farming and for beekeeping.
Two thirds of Banovina forested area
Tomić presented data showing that 64.5% of Banovina's land is covered by forests, 28.5% is farmland, and the remaining 7% are water-covered land and settlements.
There are 14 types of soil in Banovina, and nine of them are conducive for agriculture.