State and prospects of raspberry production in Serbia

Abstract

This paper presents the state of raspberries growing in Serbia and its perspectives. With annual production of over 60 000 tons Serbia holds significant place in the global production of this kind. Unfortunately, almost the entire quantity is frozen and exported as semi-finished product, and a very small part of it in higher levels of processing or fresh. Thereby the economic effect of this production is significantly decreased. One cultivar prevails in the entire assortment (Willamette), and a significantly better cultivar Meeker is slowly introduced in the production. There are only several hectares of primocane fruiting raspberry cultivars. Growing technology is conventional and two wire vertical trellis system of growing prevails. Insufficiently built road network and distance of plantings from the cold storage have impact on the quality of fruits, and the percentage of first class fruits is around 30 to 35%. Lack of producer organizations and non-loyal competition among purchasers contribute to fluctuating prices, which leads to difficulties in export of raspberries from Serbia and this production very often makes it unprofitable. Expensive production due to expensive workforce and input components also contributes to this. The solution is to increased the offer of fresh raspberries as well as raspberries of higher degree of finalization process: dried, concentrates, etc. A significantly better organization of production and a better presentation of the products in the market with recognizable trademark are also necessary.