Blackberries: The New King of Fruit or a Market Rip-Off?
Imagine this: a kilogram of blackberries at Belgrade markets costs a whopping 1,600 dinars! Yes, you read that right. After cherries held the title of the most expensive fruit in May, blackberries have now snatched the crown. And even though the fruit season is well underway, prices are not dropping one bit.
What’s going on with the fruit?
This year, fruit growers are in total chaos. The harvest has plummeted catastrophically, especially for apricots and cherries, with some parts of Serbia seeing a drop of up to 80%! That means there’s way less fruit than ever before, and prices are shooting through the roof. Producers are trying to make up for losses with high prices, and buyers are forced to buy fruit by the piece because a kilogram costs as much as gold.
Shocking statistics
According to the Statistical Office, last year in the first week of June, apricots cost about 150 dinars per kilogram, but this year the price has jumped to 300 dinars! While prices in hypermarkets are somewhat lower, markets set the pace.
Why are prices so high?
The reason is simple: weather disasters! Frost, hail, drought — all have hit the growers hard. Sour cherry yields dropped by 40%, raspberries by 30%, and in some regions like western Serbia, the harvest drop is catastrophic. Importing fruit from Greece and other countries tries to ease the situation, but it’s not easy since neighboring countries are also affected by similar problems.
What’s next?
Experts warn that climate change will continue to wreak havoc on agriculture. They recommend more resilient fruit varieties, but that’s a long process. For now, blackberries are the king of expensive fruit, and we’re left watching our wallets empty while eating fruit one piece at a time.
Conclusion
If you thought fruit was healthy and affordable, think again. The price of blackberries at 1,600 dinars per kilogram is a clear sign something’s wrong. Will we soon have to choose between blackberries and our electricity bills? Or just settle for the smell of fruit?
So, what do you think about these prices? Is this just a passing crisis or the new normal? Drop your thoughts below — let’s see who’s ready to pay gold prices for a kilo of blackberries!
Slug: blackberries-most-expensive-fruit-serbia-2024
