Blueberry plantations in Serbia have experienced explosive growth in the last five years and have reached 2.500 hectares in area, producing more than 6.000 tons of products and the area continues to grow rapidly. The blueberry plantations are large and use the latest technology and practices in both production and trade.

According to Julka Toskić, director of Agrobrand and manager of the Serbia Does Fruit platform, Serbia has had a positive blueberry year: “This season has been very favorable for blueberry growers and exporters, as in Serbia the blueberry harvest reaches the less two weeks earlier than in other European countries. The value of blueberries exported in June and July exceeded 20 million euros. The export markets are diversified and the main export markets were the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Russia ”.

Serbian agricultural exporter Dotika wants to set an example when it comes to export diversification and product management, says company owner Vladimir Milosavljevic: “We started buying and exporting fresh fruits to the EU market in 2019 , mainly in the markets of Germany, Switzerland and Belgium, Holland and Austria. By visiting trade fairs throughout Europe, we have established numerous contacts and started our cooperation with foreign partners, who are leading suppliers of fruits and vegetables in the countries mentioned. "

Milosavljevic says that Dotaki has been investing in the business through education. “To grow our business, we work on educating our subcontractors on the importance of the introduction of new technologies, the use of modern fruit varieties, the introduction and implementation of the GLOBAL GAP certificate and the GRASP complement required to enter the Market of the European Union. Our fruit business is exclusively export-oriented and, in this sense, we see great opportunities. Our aim is to make our products available not only in EU wholesale markets, as has been the case so far, but also in supermarket chains. Therefore, it is necessary to keep pace with world trends and offer products in suitable and attractive packaging to create a well-known and recognizable brand ”.

The European market is not the only interesting market for Serbia. Milosavljevic affirms that they have also managed to export to new markets in the past season: “This year, together with the European market, we exported blueberries to Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia and raspberries to Dubai. For the 2022 season, our plan is to expand our business with berries, cherries and plums to Scandinavian countries and well-established markets in the EU, the Middle East and Asia ”. concludes.

Dotika, along with other successful Serbian exporters of fresh blueberries, is a member of the Serbia Does Fruit platform. The platform aims at the international promotion of the Serbian fruit industry and represents an effective connection between certified Serbian suppliers and international buyers.