Strong rain and hailstorms in the central agricultural region of Serbia have severely affected numerous plantations of blueberries and other fruit and vegetable products. It is still too early to calculate exactly the damage that this meteorological phenomenon will cause in the production and harvest of blueberries, which will begin in June.
According to a report of the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), which corresponds to the Serbian State audit institution, in the last three years Serbia has lost about 50 million euro because of these (increasingly recurring) meteorological phenomena. Almost 95% of the losses correspond to damage caused to the country's agricultural activity, mainly fruit production.
Like most countries in the western Balkans, the Serbian authorities have spread, promoted, and invested significantly in the cultivation of blueberry; to the point that Serbian production is projected to increase by more than 30% this coming season.
Despite these storms and heavy hailstorms the Serbian blueberry sector continues to have good production forecasts because Serbian farms have the best technology and have adapted the crop to the realities of the region.
Serbia mainly exports its blueberry production to nearby markets in the region. It makes shipments to Russia, Turkey, markets in Western Europe, and the countries of the Middle East.
There are 242,000 hectares of arable land in Belgrade, 150,000 hectares of which are currently used, so the range of opportunities to invest is very high. Serbia ranks 17th in the world in terms of available hectares, which clearly means that Serbia's destiny is in agriculture.
Source: blueberriesconsulting.com
