What was the fruit production like in the years behind us?

The coronary virus pandemic has affected various branches of agriculture and faced certain problems for domestic farmers. What was the experience of Serbian fruit growers when it comes to the years behind us?

“The fruit yield was average, but it is the redemption price was solid and fruit was sought after on world markets, so there was a solid demand in our country as well “, estimates Srdjan Stanojlović from the Agricultural Advisory and Expert Service” Valjevo “.

What was 2020 like for raspberries and blackberries?

When it comes to one of the most important fruit species in the Valjevo region, raspberry, the areas under “red gold” are stagnant and with remontant varieties are currently somewhere on 1,500 hectares, but there are many areas where there has been a mass drying of plantations. Uas long as there is no import of new quality planting material, it will hardly be better, warns the profession.

Last season, the yields in the youngsters were very bad average fruit quality, the purchase price varied from 150 to 200 dinars per kilogram for remontant varieties, and for classic raspberry production 150 to 190 dinars. However, to this should be added the data presented by the Minister of Agriculture Branislav Nedimović that raspberries in 2020 “broke all records with exports of 247 million dollars”.

As stated by Srdjan Stanojlovic Blackberries unfortunately had a bad price at the very beginning of the harvest, and when it started to grow and reached some solid 60 dinars per kilogram, the harvest was over.

“Our producers with 1,100 hectares, on which blackberries are grown in this area, remained deprived of good earningsHe said.

Only the varieties “loh nes”, “triple crown” and “thorn free”, which could be placed as consumer, were sold on the markets. for 150 and even up to 250 dinars per kilogram.

“Last year, it turned out that quality and controlled production are slowly entering our market, so raspberries and blackberries were produced according to the principles of rigorous protection control. achieved a better price for 50 dinars per kilogram. Unfortunately, we now have a situation where this controlled and so-called “organic” production has been abused by some super agronomists, who hire buyers to go to the villages and sell the story of organic raspberries and fantastic earnings according to the principle. “You don’t do anything – you just pick and enjoy”, our interlocutor pointed out.

He added that this is how we came to the situation that we are left without raspberries and blackberries, because they dry out and decay due to weak or so-called “organic” work of the producer.

“In the fight to stop this lie and malice, the state authorities must get involved through their inspections and, with the help of us advisors, stand in the way of this phenomenon or we will soon lose the production of raspberries and blackberries, as well as our producers. leave the village, because regardless of the price, it is not possible to make money when you gain only 500 kilograms from 50 acres “, said Stanojlović.

He adds that it is good that from this year, professional services are included in the production of quality planting material, in order to enable the raising of new quality plantations through the organized expansion of such seedlings.

What was the gender of “blue gold” like?

In the plum growing of the Valjevo region, last year they marked the not so satisfactory yield and quality of “blue gold”. They contributed the most to that late spring frosts at the time of flowering and plum roll which causes fruit rot. However, plums were in demand for all types of production, from cut to those for the production of brandy.

“With about 12 thousand hectares, as many as are in the Kolubara area under plum orchards, we had below average yield and fruit quality. The price of this fruit was very bad and ranged from 15 to 20 dinars per kilogram, only the price of plum for brandy had a decent price and reached 25 to 30 dinars. According to some unwritten rule in our country, when the price of raw plums is bad, the price of dried plums is good, so it was the same last year. The price of prunes started from 100 dinars to reach 160 dinars per kilogram before the end of the year, while the price of prunes dried in line dryers continues to grow, “said Srdjan Stanojlovic.

According to him, the yield of other stone fruit species was solid, but it is again cherries was a poor redemption price that is 25 to 45 dinars, which completely discouraged farmers from raising new cherries, but that is why the price of peaches and nectarines was solid and ranged around 70 to 80 dinars per kilogram. The cherry, which is grown on about 180 hectares in the villages of Kolubara, last year as well achieved an excellent price of 150 and even 200 dinars, new plantings are being erected, but, Stanojlović notes, care must be taken of the substrate on which it is grafted because not every substrate is good for every soil.

Increased areas under walnut and hazelnut

“The yield of autochthonous varieties of apples and pears was average. The cherry apple was bought at a price of eight to ten dinars, which is small and only a few producers have collected it, while the plantation apple is selling well and the price is solid, that is around 70 dinars per kilogram, but the purchase of the first class of fresh apples cost 55 dinars. A solid yield was achieved with the plantation pear as well as the price of 40 to 50 dinars, while quince bore well and the price was from 35 to 40 dinars, which is satisfactory, “he pointed out.

Compared to 2019 areas under walnuts have increased by 20 percent, hazelnuts by 10 percent, and there is still great interest in them. I hazelnuts and walnuts bore well, and the price is quite satisfactory and went up to 300 dinars for unpeeled hazelnuts, while cleaned dry hazelnuts were sold for 650 dinars, and cleaned walnuts are sold for 700 to 1100 dinars “, says Stanojlović, advisor for fruit growing and viticulture.

From strawberry fruit crops in local villages, strawberries are also grown on 50 hectares. On this surface average yield and good fruit quality were achieved.

As for viticulture, 2020 is was good not so much in yield as in grape quality. It was demanding in terms of protection, but the long warm autumn and a lot of sun contributed to the grapes collecting a solid amount of sugar.