Growing blueberries in Serbia

Growing blueberries is a relatively new business in Serbia, with a tendency to grow. The first serious plantations appeared in Serbia as late as in 2008. Since 2012 the plantations have been considerably improved due to the implementation of Global GAP Standard in Serbia, resulting in 90% of Serbian plantations, i.e. around 400ha, producing first class blueberries. Most of the blueberries grown here belong to the Duke species, but there are also other species (Huron, Patriot, Aurora). The great advantage of growing blueberries in Serbia is the geographic region of some parts of our country where blueberries ripen at the beginning of June when the demand for this fruit is very high. In other parts of the country, where altitude rises somewhat more than 700m, blueberries ripen at the end of June and are harvested by the end of July.

We won’t be overstating if we say that blueberries cultivated in Serbia are ones of the best and most delicious in the world, and this stems from the high number of sunny days in a year, as well as the geographical region of our country. For this reason, we are trying to support the existing and educate new growers of this beautiful fruit.

In Serbia, growing blueberries is usually a family business, on areas from 1 to 5 hectares. This fact is not considered a disadvantage. On the contrary, we believe this fact is what contributes to the top quality of our blueberries. Several united small area growers result in each of them being fully committed to their plantation and the control of the fruit quality. Considerably better control of the workers (pickers), along with better conditions for them, are also some of the benefits of smaller plantations.