At a time when most young people dream of living in the city, Sava Zvizdić from Pljevlja left the city streets three years ago and returned to Kakmuže, his ancestral village. He was 22 when he did it.
Today, instead of the hustle and bustle of the city, his everyday life is dominated by the silence of cows and the smell of freshly cut grass. He shows by his own example that returning to nature and old values is not a step backwards, but a path to success and satisfaction.
He had the knowledge, the idea and the courage to embark on this venture. He started making cheese - the old, famous Pljevlja cheese, which is kept in wooden vats. He learned and listened to the advice of his elders, adding his own knowledge of hygiene, packaging and marketing.
Sava lives with his grandparents in Kakmuži, a village about twenty kilometers from Pljevlja. The Zvizdić house in Kakmuži is located at an altitude of 1.120 meters and is surrounded by a spruce forest.
"I've always loved the countryside, even though I grew up in the city. Here in the countryside, every day is different and more fulfilling. There's no stress, there's work, but it's that healthy tiredness," Sava, a bright-minded guy with an urban appearance, tells "Vijesti".
In just three years, the young farmer has managed to develop a recognizable brand of homemade cheese that he sells in Montenegro and the region. He says he doesn't spend most of his income, but invests it, mostly in purchasing new cattle.
"I came here ready. I had a vision of what I was going to do and how to develop this farm. Cheese has been made here for the last 150 years, and that's not some philosophy. The quality of the milk is crucial," emphasizes the young exemplary farmer.
Sava's parents and brother still live and work in the city, but they visit regularly. They help out whenever they can, but they have no plans to move for now.
"I respect their choice, but I feel good here. Beauty is when you know that you are creating something valuable with your hands, and that what you are doing has meaning," says Sava.
When asked how he came up with the idea of moving to the countryside, Sava replies: "Maybe I got fed up with the jobs I was doing."
"I've never worked for the minimum wage. At the age of 17, I was mixing mortar for a daily wage of 30 euros, and back then the salary was 180 euros. Even then, I was earning the minimum wage in seven days. For me, it was not beneath my honor, but rather a pleasure, because in seven days I earned the salary that my mother had in the store at the time. Before that, I picked mushrooms in these forests and went to the seaside with my own money," says Zvizdić, who graduated from a secondary trade school in Pljevlja.
The first thing he bought when he came to the village was a milking parlor. He built a modern dairy and bought three high-breasted cows. He now has eight dairy cows and five calves. This year he expects to buy ten more.
"I wanted to start something of my own. I hope to move to a more serious level of agriculture in the foreseeable future," says Sava.
He currently only sells cheese because, as he claims, it is not worth it to "buy" kajmak, which is sold for 30 euros.
He sells an average of 350 to 400 kilograms of cheese per month. Most of it to restaurants, and among his many customers is a Serbian man to whom he sells five kilograms of cheese every month.
"Every month, a man drives 60 kilometers from where he lives to Belgrade to pick up my cheese. He doesn't ask for the price," Zvizdić points out.
At last year's Pljevlja Cheese Days, Sava won first prize in the aged cheese category. He received a cash prize of 500 euros.
When he longs for the city and company, Sava gets in the car and arrives in Pljevlja in half an hour.
"I have time to go wherever I want, whenever I want, because my grandparents are here and I don't have to worry about who will milk the cows and who will curdle the milk. The village is not deserted compared to some other villages, but it's not something to be proud of either. There are no young people. Whenever I want, I start the car and go to town."
Sava does not want to invite his peers to turn to the countryside and agriculture, he leaves it to them to decide for themselves.
"It is up to the state to encourage young people to return to agriculture and the countryside, and not to work for little money. I know a lot of my peers who still ask their parents for money to go out for drinks with friends. I currently have a stable income, but I mostly invest the money. Primarily in buying livestock," said Zvizdić.
He points out that the Municipality of Pljevlja increased the agricultural budget and that last year it used everything it could.
He called on the local government to separate hobby farming from serious agricultural producers.
He said that the state agricultural budget is not developmental and that it is not easy to obtain subsidies, but he emphasizes that he did not start this business to rely on the Ministry and the Municipality, but to go his own way.
"The agro-budget is not developmental and was rewritten from last year. The agro-budget is slightly biased towards the north and especially livestock farming, but I would still like it to be developmental. The only developmental component is the purchase of heifers, where they are returning 1.500 euros per heifer," said Zvizdić.
The road to the village is in poor condition.
"I have informed the Director of Local Roads and the departmental secretary and I think it is enough for me to inform them about it. I don't want to beg anyone. They should remember to do it themselves," emphasizes the young farmer from Pljevlja.
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