RESEARCH ON EXPORTS AND COMPETITIVENESS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: RASPBERRIES AND BLUEBERRIES ARE INCREASINGLY IN DEMAND IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

A lecture dedicated to ways to increase the export of processed fruits and vegetables to the European Union was held yesterday in the organization of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. A special focus was on the new tools of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce for exporters of frozen and dried fruits and vegetables, as well as producers from the hot processing sector.

Assistant at the FEFA Faculty and consultant of the SIPPO project, Valentina Čolić Mihajlović, presented the results of the research "Export and competitiveness of the fruit and vegetable sector from Serbia in the period from 2022 to 2025" and pointed out the need for greater investment in logistics, storage, transport and certification of products. The analysis showed that most of the exports of fruit and vegetables are placed on the European Union market, with Germany being the main export market, followed by France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Russia and the countries of the CEFTA region.
– The Netherlands is particularly important because it further re-exports fruit and vegetables from Serbia. On the Western European market, we have the largest share in frozen raspberries, but also in the export of apples, pickled gherkins and other types of frozen fruits and vegetables – said Čolić Mihajlović and pointed out that the value of imports of fruits and vegetables to the European Union has increased in the last five years, and that most of this growth is due to higher prices, but there is also a quantitative growth.
According to her, Serbia exports more than 95 percent of raspberries as a frozen product, and fresh raspberries only a few percent.
– Fresh raspberries achieve a much higher price and are a premium fresh product, so it is necessary to improve the logistical conditions after the harvest so that we can export more fresh raspberries, as Poland is doing – said Čolić Mihajlović.
Speaking about other export products, she said that Serbia has recorded an increase in exports of hazelnuts, especially to the Italian market, and blueberries, which are more resilient, to Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Advisor to the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Veljko Jovanovic, said that the main task of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce is to ensure that the domestic economy achieves better results both in the domestic and international markets.
– Market standards today are much more complex than before. Entering international retail chains implies a serious story about the traceability and origin of goods, especially in the sectors in which we are strongest, such as raspberries and apples – Jovanović pointed out.
He stated that manufacturers can perform on the world market through large quantities of lower-value products or through the development of their own brands. This requires a lot more investment in marketing, standards, and understanding customer needs.
"Our future is on the European market and in the CEFTA region, where more than 75 percent of goods from this sector end up today, but there is room for a greater volume and value of exports," Jovanovic said, adding that domestic companies need to adapt faster to changes in the market.