Agrokomerc
A Bosnian food and agricultural company that grew from a small chicken farm into a major Yugoslav-era food manufacturer and later became associated with the 1987 Agrokomerc Affair.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Agrokomerc is a food and agricultural company headquartered in Velika Kladuša, in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its historical operations extended across much of the former Yugoslavia, and its development was closely connected with the economic transformation of the Velika Kladuša region. The enterprise began as a small farm near the Croatian border, with around 30 employees, in an area that had experienced post-war economic isolation. Its expansion accelerated after Fikret Abdić assumed leadership in 1967. Agrokomerc built relationships with surrounding farmers, expanded poultry production, created employment, and invested in local infrastructure, including roads, water supply, electricity, and education. In this period it became much more than a food producer: it was a dominant economic institution in the local community and a symbol of regional modernization within socialist Yugoslavia. By the 1980s, Agrokomerc had developed an unusually broad vertically integrated food business. Its activities included poultry and turkey farming, rabbit production, mayonnaise, meat products, luncheon meat, salami, liquor, chocolate, mushroom cultivation, and the operation of cold and dry storage facilities. The company also maintained distribution vehicles and transport services. Contemporary descriptions characterized it as a major food-manufacturing organization with more than 13,000 employees and a reputation for product quality in European and other markets. The company became internationally known because of the Agrokomerc Affair, which entered the public arena in August 1987 after the Belgrade newspaper Borba reported that Agrokomerc had issued large quantities of uncovered or inadequately secured promissory notes. The revelations prompted investigations by institutions of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and generated a major political crisis. Abdić, together with political figures Hamdija and Hakija Pozderac, faced accusations concerning political sponsorship and access to the financial system. Party and state bodies examined alleged business irregularities, misuse of funds, bribery, corruption, and failures of oversight by financial and public institutions. The scandal damaged Agrokomerc’s standing and exposed wider tensions in Yugoslav enterprise governance, banking, political accountability, and the self-management system. During the Bosnian War, Abdić used his economic resources and political influence to establish the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, an unrecognized entity that existed from 1993 to 1995. Agrokomerc served as a central economic foundation of that administration. The original company collapsed after the war, but former workers and the Sarajevo-based Gadžo Komerc re-established Agrokomerc d.d. Velika Kladuša in 1999. The reconstituted company exported products to the United States, Australia, and Canada but experienced continuing financial difficulties and later came under state control. A state auction in 2014 did not immediately attract a buyer. In 2017, the company was reported to have been acquired by AC Food, part of the Sarajevo-based AS Group. Under the new ownership, it continued producing biscuits, chocolate, and other confectionery products, while announcing plans to expand into meat, poultry, and egg production. Products associated with the later business include the Maza hazelnut spread and Kremipan chocolate bar. Public information about its current corporate scale, management, financial performance, and distribution footprint remains limited.
History
Agrokomerc originated as a small chicken farm in the Velika Kladuša area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the Croatian border. The surrounding region had been subjected to economic restrictions after the Second World War, limiting its development within Yugoslavia. The enterprise initially employed approximately 30 people. Its transformation began after Fikret Abdić became its president in 1967. Under his leadership, Agrokomerc developed supply and employment relationships with farmers in nearby communities, constructed additional poultry farms, and became a major source of work for a population with high unemployment. The company’s influence expanded beyond production. Agrokomerc invested in roads, water and electricity infrastructure, and education, helping to integrate remote parts of the region into a broader economic system. This combination of commercial expansion and local investment made the company central to life in Velika Kladuša and surrounding areas. By the 1980s, it had become a large integrated food enterprise. Its activities included millions of chickens, turkey and rabbit farming, mayonnaise, liquor, turkey products, salami, luncheon meat, chocolate, mushroom cultivation, and cold and dry storage. It also operated distribution trucks and transport services. The workforce reportedly exceeded 13,000 people, and the company developed a reputation for quality in markets across Europe and beyond. Agrokomerc’s rapid expansion was financed within the complex institutional environment of socialist Yugoslavia. In August 1987, the Belgrade newspaper Borba published allegations that the company had issued promissory notes without adequate coverage. The report triggered a broad investigation by Bosnian republican authorities and Yugoslav political institutions. Earlier warnings had concerned irregular business practices, possible misuse of funds, bribery, corruption, and weak oversight. A special investigative group was formed after Agrokomerc’s business structures failed to provide requested information. Its findings caused widespread public shock. The affair soon became both a financial investigation and a political confrontation. Fikret Abdić was targeted, while Hamdija and Hakija Pozderac were accused of providing political support that helped Agrokomerc enter the financial system. The League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina described aspects of the company’s conduct as incompatible with socialist self-management and called for Abdić’s removal from political and corporate positions. Questions were also raised about the conduct of public prosecutors, accounting authorities, the National Bank, and United Bank Sarajevo. The scandal weakened the company and became a prominent illustration of late-Yugoslav disputes over enterprise autonomy, political patronage, banking discipline, and state property. During the Bosnian War, Abdić established the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The entity was not internationally recognized and existed between 1993 and 1995. Agrokomerc was a principal economic resource for the administration. Following the war, the original organization folded. In 1999, former workers and Gadžo Komerc re-established Agrokomerc d.d. Velika Kladuša. The revived company exported products to North America and Australia but continued to face financial problems. It was subsequently placed under state control and offered for sale in 2014 without promptly securing a purchaser. In 2017, reports stated that AC Food, part of the Sarajevo-based AS Group, acquired the company. The post-acquisition business continued biscuit, chocolate, and other confectionery production, with Maza hazelnut spread and Kremipan chocolate among the products associated with its renewed activity. Plans were also reported for meat, poultry, and egg production. The available public record does not establish a complete current account of Agrokomerc’s ownership structure, workforce, financial condition, or international operations.
- 2017
Acquisition by AC Food
[1]AC Food of the AS Group was reported to have acquired Agrokomerc and resumed or expanded food and confectionery activity.
- 2014
State auction
[1]The state auctioned the company, but reported difficulty attracting buyers.
- 1999
Post-war re-establishment
[1]Former workers and Gadžo Komerc re-established Agrokomerc d.d. Velika Kladuša.
- 1993
Agrokomerc becomes an economic foundation of Western Bosnia
[1]During the Bosnian War, the company supported the economy of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia.
- 1987
Agrokomerc Affair
[1]Allegations concerning uncovered promissory notes led to investigations and a major political and financial scandal in Yugoslavia.
- 1980
Expansion into an integrated food group
[1]By the 1980s, Agrokomerc had diversified into poultry, meat, mayonnaise, liquor, chocolate, mushrooms, storage, and distribution, with a workforce reported at more than 13,000.
- 1967
Abdić assumes leadership
[1]Fikret Abdić became president and initiated the expansion from a small local chicken farm into a diversified regional enterprise.
Products and positioning
A regional agri-food producer combining agricultural production, food processing, and confectionery manufacturing, with historical significance as a large integrated enterprise in Yugoslavia and a later identity centered on Bosnian food products.
Processed food
Poultry and turkey products
Poultry farming was the company’s original industrial base. At its 1980s peak, Agrokomerc operated extensive chicken and turkey production and integrated these activities with processing and distribution. Public sources describe the scale of this historical business but do not provide a complete current product catalogue.
Processed food
Processed meat and luncheon products
Agrokomerc historically produced turkey products, salami, luncheon meat, and related processed foods. These lines formed part of its vertically integrated model, linking animal production, processing, storage, and distribution. Later plans reportedly included renewed meat and poultry production.
Confectionery · 1999
Biscuits and confectionery
After its post-war re-establishment and later acquisition by AC Food, Agrokomerc continued producing biscuits, chocolate, and other confectionery. The revived confectionery business also drew on the experience of Gadžo Komerc, producer of the Tops biscuit brand.
Sweet spreads
Maza hazelnut spread
Maza is a hazelnut spread associated with Agrokomerc’s later confectionery portfolio under AC Food. Public reference material identifies it as a newer product but does not provide a verified launch date or detailed market information.
Chocolate
Kremipan chocolate bar
Kremipan is a chocolate bar introduced in the company’s later product development period. It represents Agrokomerc’s renewed focus on branded confectionery following the change in ownership reported in 2017.
Condiments and packaged food
Mayonnaise and other food products
Mayonnaise was among the named products of the company’s 1980s manufacturing system. Agrokomerc also operated in liquor, mushroom cultivation, storage, and other food-related activities, although specific current brands and product specifications are not fully documented.
Controversies
1987
Agrokomerc Affair
The affair began with public allegations that Agrokomerc had issued large quantities of promissory notes without adequate financial coverage. Investigations expanded to alleged business irregularities, misuse of funds, bribery, corruption, and failures by banks and public bodies to enforce financial and legal controls. The case also became a political confrontation involving Fikret Abdić and the Pozderac family, and it damaged Agrokomerc while exposing broader weaknesses in late-Yugoslav economic governance.
Brand decisions
2017
AC Food acquisition and operational recoveryM&ABackground
Following financial difficulties and an unsuccessful or inconclusive state sale process, Agrokomerc required a new ownership and operating structure.
Action taken
AC Food, associated with AS Group, acquired the company and continued biscuit, chocolate, and confectionery production.
Aftermath
The business was reported to have recovered financially, introduced products such as Maza and Kremipan, and planned meat, poultry, and egg production.
1999
Re-establish the company after the warStrategyBackground
The original Agrokomerc organization had folded after the war, leaving its local industrial and employment base uncertain.
Action taken
Former workers collaborated with Gadžo Komerc to establish Agrokomerc d.d. Velika Kladuša and restart food production.
Aftermath
The re-established company exported products internationally but later experienced financial difficulties and came under state control.
Recent events
- 2017
AC Food acquires Agrokomerc[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Agrokomerc was reported to have been acquired by AC Food, a company within the AS Group, followed by renewed production and product development.
- 2017
New confectionery products introduced[1]
Product launch
The post-acquisition business continued biscuit and chocolate production and introduced products including Maza hazelnut spread and Kremipan chocolate.
- 2014
State auction fails to attract a buyer[1]
Other
Agrokomerc was offered for auction by the state, but the company reportedly encountered difficulties finding an interested buyer.
- 1999
Agrokomerc re-established after the war[1]
Other
Former workers and Gadžo Komerc re-established Agrokomerc d.d. Velika Kladuša after the original company folded in the post-war period.
Sources1 sources
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