The upcoming Serbian summer fruit looks to be a positive one, says Vukašin Radivojević, sales manager for Vegfresh Serbia, an export-oriented wholesale trading company based in Serbia: "We're currently preparing for the 2025 fruit and berry season. While Serbia is one of the largest raspberry producers, strawberries remain the flagship berry for us at Vegfresh. Thanks to the optimal climate and soil conditions of the Rasina area, we can offer top-grade strawberries, alongside sweet cherries, sour cherries, blueberries, and blackberries."
According to Radivojević, the Serbian cherries have held up well against their competition in multiple markets. "We have successfully competed on the European market with sweet cherries from Greece, and on the Russian market with sweet cherries from Uzbekistan. Although the mentioned competing cherries are larger in size, our cherries surpass them in aroma and taste. Traditionally, the Russian market has been the most significant destination for Serbian fruit exports. Besides Russia, key markets for our fruits include Poland, a market that has been opening up significantly in recent years, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Scandinavian countries, and neighboring countries including Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro."
© Vegfresh Serbia
Looking at the Serbian soft fruit season, Radivojević expects the country will pull ahead of the competition, as these competitors have had a lot of words in terms of frost and other weather conditions: "This season is shaping up to be promising in terms of demand. Spring frosts that heavily impacted plantations in Turkey, Greece, and Poland have tightened supply across Europe. Although Serbia also experienced frost damage that mainly affected stone fruits like apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums, the situation with berries is slightly better. As a result, expectations for the strawberry and other berries harvest remain a little bit more optimistic."
Frost is not the only weather condition that can prove a problem for soft fruit, though, Radivojević explains. "Beyond frost risks, Serbian fruit growers, like their counterparts across Europe, face increasing challenges from unfavorable meteorological conditions due to global warming and rising production costs. However, these difficulties are still less severe in Serbia compared to many competing regions, giving Serbian fruits an important competitive advantage."
© Vegfresh Serbia
"The harvest season for Serbian open-field strawberries typically begins in mid-May and continues through the first half of June. Greenhouse-grown strawberries have approximately a 15-20 day advantage. The harvest season for Serbian sweet cherries begins at the end of May and lasts till the beginning of July. The main strawberry varieties in Serbia include Clery, Alba, Roxana, Arosa, and Romina. As for sweet cherries, we have Burlat, Regina, Herz, Cordia, Early Lory, and Sunburst. Packaging options range from the traditional 6kg wooden boxes to smaller 250g plastic packages, catering to different market preferences and retail needs," Radivojević concludes.
For more information:
Vukašin Radivojević
Vegfresh Serbia
Tel: +381 62 96 23 064
[email protected]
www.vegfreshrs.com
