Serbian apple is a serious competitor on the global market, producers expect a good crop

People are consuming less and less apples, warns the PROGNOSFRUIT World Conference of Apple and Pear Producers, held in Belgrade. Over 200 participants from 23 countries take part in it, and Serbia is only the third country-organizer outside the European Union.

In the European Union, around twelve million tons of apples and two million tons of pears are produced annually. The forecast is that production in the EU will increase, whereas in other countries, China and the United States, it will decrease slightly.

The bigger problem, according to PROGNOSFRUIT, is that apples are consumed less.

- We should work on affirming the consumption of apples through new products and flavors. There are more and more varieties of apples, but producers need to know their consumers. In northern Europe, certain varieties of apples are in demand, and completely different varieties are in demand in eastern Europe - says Luke Vanuarbek from PROGNOSFRUIT.

How much does Serbia earn from exports?

With an annual production of 550,000 tons of apples and pears, Serbia is a serious competitor.

- Quantitatively, we export over 190 thousand tons of apple and pear products annually. Based on this, we will achieve a foreign exchange inflow from exports of over USD 135 million - says State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Senad Mahmutovic.

USAID Mission Director, Denny Robertson states that agriculture has developed rapidly in the past decade in Serbia, especially fruit growing, thanks to investments in modern orchards and improvement of logistics.

In the following days, the harvest of the Gala variety will begin, and it will end with the harvest of Granny and Fuji apples.

Thanks to the application of agrotechnical measures, the frosts, and then the drought, did not leave serious consequences and the producers expect a good harvest.

Boris Bosnjak from "Atos fructum" says that the forecast for this year is that the crop in Europe will increase by as much as one million tons, and that sales will be under pressure.

- If you have good quality, it shouldn't be a problem - says Bosnjak.

The Russian market remains important, but in recent years, Serbian apples can also be found in the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and the Far East.

Thanks to bilateral state agreements, the markets of Egypt and Indonesia are available, and China is expected soon.

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

Atos Fructum d.o.o. Mala Remeta

USAID Srbija

World Conference of Apple and Pear Producers

Ministry of Agriculture

PROGNOSFRUIT

Atos Fructum

USAID

Boris Bosnjak

Senad Mahmutovic

Denny Robertson

Luke Vanuarbek

apples

markets

export

crop