Scorching Raspberry Harvest at +35°C: Young Men from Svrljig Sweat It Out for a Laughable 5 Dinar Daily Wage!
Welcome to the world where sweat and sun fight for every dinar! While many complain about work, these guys from Svrljig throw their hands up and say, “It’s not easy, but you gotta work!” Yes, raspberry picking in Dragačevo is no joke, and the blistering +35°C heat just spices up the story.
Where Have All the Workers Gone?
Once upon a time, students lined up to get jobs on plantations. Today? Workers are as rare as a cool day in summer! Seasonal raspberry pickers are a true rarity, so farm owners are scrambling. Workers come from distant parts of Serbia, even from India and Pakistan. But Goran Glavonjić, a host from a Dragačevo village, decided to stick with his own people — young men from Svrljig.
Hell at +35°C
Alen Macura, 21, and his buddy Mirko Stefanović don’t shy away from hard work. They wake up at 4:30 AM, drink coffee, and start picking before the sun turns into a furnace. They pick raspberries in the hottest heat, but breaks are mandatory — cold water, quality meals, and shade are their lifelines.
But don’t get it twisted — their daily wage is a ridiculous 5 dinars! Yes, you read that right. Five dinars for a whole day of sweating and working under a sun that burns like a desert. Even though the boss provides accommodation and food, the pay is nowhere near what it should be for such effort.
Raspberry Price? Red Gold or Red Misery?
Raspberries sell for 10 euros per kilogram, but farmers claim even that price can’t cover drought damages. Goran used to harvest about 10 tons from three hectares, now barely four. Drought and heat waves are destroying yields, and workers are harder to find.
Foreigners for 3 Dinars? No Thanks!
Belgrade agencies offered Pakistani workers for 3 dinars a day, but Goran refused to risk it. “I don’t know if they’d know how to pick raspberries properly or handle the heat,” he says. He’d rather stick with his own guys, who have already proven they’re not lazy and respect the job.
Conclusion: Who Will Pick Raspberries If This Keeps Up?
Raspberry picking is tough, exhausting work paid a laughably low wage. Young men from Svrljig are heroes enduring heat and sweat for 5 dinars a day, while bosses try to keep production alive amid drought and labor shortages. If nothing changes, the question is who will pick this red gold in the future?
What about you? Could you handle +35°C and pick raspberries for 5 dinars a day? Or got a better idea to save this story? Drop a comment, let’s see who’s ready for the raspberry fields!
Source: RINA, Blic