Serbian raspberry production is experiencing challenges due to adverse weather conditions impacting agriculture. Once a premier exporter of berries globally, Serbia's raspberry sector now faces hurdles.
Sveta Cvijanović, a raspberry grower from Mačva, highlighted, "Raspberries this year really had problems, we entered the year with very little rainfall, February and March were very dry, and then the rains started in April. Then we encountered a period when we had sub-zero temperatures, so buds and very small fruiting branches in the raspberry trees froze." Adverse weather has reduced crop yields significantly in Malinjaci.
The droughts during critical growth phases have further impacted production. Cvijanović noted the prolonged dry spell, "Raspberry harvest took place in Macva and from the beginning to the end there was not a single drop of rain - for 48 days it did not rain in Macva," affecting both yield and quality.
This season, Serbia's raspberry output may only reach 10,000 to 15,000 tons. Empty refrigeration facilities and rising prices at stock markets in Macva and the Zlatibor district are focal points. Cvijanović remarked, "It will be a luxury if Serbia has between 10 and 15,000 tons of raspberries this year."
Once vital to Serbia's agricultural identity, raspberries now face survival issues. Cvijanović accentuates the systemic challenges: "Just as cereals were represented in Vojvodina, so raspberries in western Serbia were something that nourished the Serbian peasant."
Future production is uncertain without strategic conservation initiatives. "Young people have migrated from the countryside, so it will be really difficult to raise new plantations," Cvijanović noted, stressing the importance of effective agricultural policies and investment.
Prices are fluctuating, with current comparisons highlighting spikes to 600 dinars per kilogram. Cvijanović warns, "Raspberry growers have been making a mistake for years because they didn't have an adequate price for raspberries."
The financial dynamics indicate a difficult market where raspberry cultivation is challenged both operationally and economically, impacting local availability and production sustainability.
Source: Vreme
