Although calls for boycotting Serbian products are widespread, these goods continue to be sold in Kosovo\u2019s market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most citizens surveyed by KosovaPress say they do not purchase food or other products originating from Serbia. They believe that favoring local products strengthens Kosovo\u2019s economy and helps increase the state budget, while imports not only benefit other countries but also impose more taxes and costs on local consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, Serbian products should be boycotted, says citizen Basri Hoxha, who adds that it is essential for the state to invest in agriculture and the local economy, so that consumers, according to him, have access to quality and affordable alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t buy them and have been a constant critic. We should at least learn from our enemies \u2013 they don\u2019t buy ours, so why should we buy theirs? But to be fair, those with lower standards are often tempted by the price, so we must understand that too\u2026 There may be various motives, but mainly due to their centuries-long hostility towards Albanians \u2013 why help them? It\u2019s a great misfortune for our nation that right after the war, our ministries and institutions didn\u2019t support our farmers to produce more and provide for our people. They should\u2019ve opened farms throughout Kosovo \u2013 for cattle, poultry, fruit, and vegetables. It\u2019s our own fault that we import millions worth from Serbia, but I don\u2019t blame the people, I blame our political leaders and government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Valdet Spahijaj highlights that awareness about boycotting Serbian products has increased since the war. However, as he notes, some individuals still buy them, perhaps for personal or economic reasons. He points out that Kosovo now has plenty of diverse local products, so there is no reason to continue consuming Serbian goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs for Serbian products, we used to buy them before the war, but after the war we became more aware, and most people no longer buy them, considering we now have not just one or two, but three to four varieties of a single product. There\u2019s no need to buy theirs \u2013 we\u2019ve consumed enough. Citizens\u2019 awareness has surely increased, and most no longer buy them, though some still do,\u201d Spahijaj said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citizen Musa Kalaveshi says he tries not to buy Serbian products, considering it a matter of principle and humanity. According to him, there is no reason to consume foreign products when local alternatives exist. This stance reflects a moral conviction and support for domestic products, emphasizing the importance of individual awareness in consumer choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI try not to buy them\u2026 First of all, it\u2019s a human issue \u2013 why buy something foreign when we have our own products?\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citizen Sejdi Halimi also emphasizes the importance of supporting local products, stating that their consumption directly impacts the country\u2019s economic development. Even if quality may not always be top-tier, he believes that the more local products are consumed, the better their standards will become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, because we have our own products. Maybe the quality is not always perfect, but the more we consume local products, the more the quality will improve. So it\u2019s better to consume domestic products\u2026 If we in Kosovo support local producers, the state budget will increase, and things will get better because opportunities are better. When we import, we pay customs, VAT, and all the extra costs \u2013 so let\u2019s favor our products and leave the others for someone else to buy,\u201d Halimi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jashar Miftari also expresses a firm stance against buying Serbian goods, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t buy them because I don\u2019t like them.\u201d For him, this is not only a matter of patriotism but a personal conviction built on history and relations with Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He emphasizes that he no longer trusts those he sees as enemies and sees no reason to support them through consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, never, because I don\u2019t buy them\u2026 I don\u2019t buy them because I don\u2019t like them\u2026 It\u2019s not just about patriotism \u2013 we don\u2019t buy from enemies, we don\u2019t trust them anymore,\u201d Miftari emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to official data from the Kosovo Customs, in just the first five months of this year, Kosovo imported goods from Serbia worth over 91 million euros \u2013 about 117% more than in the same period last year when it was 42 million euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, Kosovo continues to face a negative trade balance, which continues to harm the country, especially considering the low level of exports due to a lack of subsidies and unfavorable policies for local producers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Serbian goods have returned strongly to the Kosovo market this year, after a decline in recent years. Kosovo has more than doubled the import of products originating from Serbia in the first five months of this year compared to the same period in 2024. Although calls for boycotting Serbian products are widespread, these goods continue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":75607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,297,306,296],"tags":[1363,3330,449,4975,3293],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75606"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75606"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75609,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75606\/revisions\/75609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}