APPLICATION OF AGROTECHNICAL MEASURES AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS IN WHEAT AND MAIZE CULTIVATION IN THE BRČKO DISTRICT AREA

Abstract

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, wheat and maize are the most important crops, holding a dominant position in the country's arable land. Consequently, this paper analyses wheat and maize production in the Brčko District, focusing on the applied agrotechnical measures and the economic results, as reflected by the gross margin per hectare. The research involved 30 farms in the district, with more than 1.5 hectares of the targeted crops. Data was collected through structured survey questionnaires, which included detailed questions about the applied agrotechnical practices, yields, costs, and revenues. The results indicate that average yields are 5.3 tons/ha for wheat and 8.7 tons/ha for corn. Economic analysis shows that the gross margin was 639 KM/ha for wheat and 1,611 KM/ha for corn. The higher financial results for maize are partly due to higher yields and more stable production. Conversely, the moderate gross margin for wheat highlights the need to optimize agrotechnical measures to boost productivity and economic profitability. The largest share of total costs is for mechanization and mineral fertilizers, while the most notable irregularities in applying agrotechnics occurred in fertilization, mainly due to the lack of soil fertility analysis. Therefore, this paper recommends conducting soil analysis before fertilization to optimize costs and prevent unnecessary fertilizer application.