With the start of the main variety Lepotica (Cacaks Schöne) in week 26, the plum harvest in the central Serbian region of Topola is approaching its peak. However, the early blossom coupled with hail and late frost is causing extreme problems for the stone fruit sector in the renowned growing region this year, especially for the local varieties Rana and Lepotica, reports Nikola Jovanovic, plum producer and managing director of the Trnava Voce fruit cooperative, during an interview on site.
Nikola Jovanovic is the second generation to run the family business. In the background: the last early plums of the Rana variety.
'Not a bountiful harvest'
"Due to the weather, we are not expecting a bumper harvest this year. Some plants will even suffer losses of up to 50-60 per cent compared to an average harvest. We already had to accept similar volume losses last year." The prospects for the late variety Stanley are quite satisfactory so far, although there is also hail damage here. Around 10-20 per cent of the total volume is expected to be unsuitable for the fresh market and will be used in the industry (processing, distilleries). However, according to Jovanovic, this corresponds to the figures for a normal harvest year.
The flagship of the Serbian plum sector has always been the Lepotica variety, which is also grown in neighbouring Bosnia and Macedonia, albeit in much smaller quantities. "Bosnia usually starts the Lepotica harvest a week earlier, so this year in the course of week 25. We were able to pick the first Lepotica fruits at the end of week 26, while the harvest of the early variety Rana is now coming to an end. Rana has already suffered losses due to hail and frost, although the quality of the harvested fruit was consistently impressive."
The variety Lepotica (Cacaks Schöne), which is extremely popular in Germany, is characterised by its matt white skin (also known as 'morning dew').
Competition with the Republic of Moldova
The Trnava Voce company was founded in 2013 and is mainly dedicated to the cultivation and export of plums. The cooperative company's total cultivation area covers around 60 hectares (of which around a quarter is home-grown). Depending on demand, goods are purchased from around 400 mainly family-run producers throughout Serbia. "The Republic of Moldova in particular has become increasingly important in recent years and has become a major competitor in the export business, including in Germany. It should be mentioned that the Republic of Moldova imports almost exclusively the Stanley variety, which is only harvested in August. This year, we will probably start harvesting Stanley around 20 July and continue into September. Despite this overlap in August, we still have a competitive advantage over Moldova with the earlier varieties Cacaks Frühe (Rana) and Schöne (Lepotica)."
The plum expert points to the relatively high risks within stone fruit cultivation. "Compared to apples, plums are generally more sensitive to the weather. In contrast to our colleagues in the Styrian market, we not only produce goods for the fresh market, but also for the industry, which is why the producer prices are unfortunately too low. However, equipping our plum plants with protective nets and the like is almost impossible in practice, which is therefore due to the low profitability," concludes Jovanovic.
For more information:
Nikola Jovanovic
Trnava Voce d.o.o.
Donja Trnava bb
34324 Donja Trnava
T: +381 34 833 180
[email protected]
www.trnavavoce.com
www.anevo-trading.com