site.btaSerbia's Raspberry Growers Threaten to Abandon Plantations Due to Low Purchase Prices

At the beginning of the raspberry season, growers in Serbia are threatening to abandon their plantations due to low purchase prices of RSD 300-350 per kg (BGN 5-6), local media reported on Friday.

"This is a price that is really devastating when we look at what the yields have been this year and the weather conditions that have led to reduction in production. So as far as the price itself is concerned, it is very, very poor. We want prices of RSD 450 (BGN 6-7) so that we can cover the investment costs and leave some profit," producer Lazar Todorovic told public broadcaster RTS.

Raspberry growers warned that unless better conditions are provided, raspberry cultivation will face a significant reduction in acreage and producers. According to data from the Association of Raspberry Growers of Serbia, there are 14,000 hectares of planted areas, Forbes Srbija reported.

There are also certified organic raspberry growers in Serbia, but their purchase prices can reach RSD 500 (nearly BGN 9).

Serbia is the market leader in raspberries, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine, although in recent years the country has seen a downward trend in exports.

According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, raspberry exports peaked in 2021 at 99,861 tonnes, of which 1,900 tonnes were fresh production and the rest frozen. In 2021, revenues from this fruit were also the highest - EUR 431.88 million.

"Because of the bad weather conditions, we will be happy if this year the production of raspberries in Serbia reaches 30,000 tonnes," Association of Raspberry Growers of Serbia President Dobrivoje Radovic predicted to Zlatibor Radio Luna in May.