Raspberry manufacturers will welcome this year’s harvest with uncertainty. All indications are that there will be a multitude of challenges that manufacturers will face.
In the first place is the non-payment of last year’s purchases, followed by the fact that the refrigerators are full of fruits from 2022.
Compliance with the contract
“The situation is very difficult, so far perhaps the most difficult in history as far as raspberry growing in these areas is concerned. Especially in the part where I am, Željezno polje. We were also the originators of that production after the war. Most of the refrigerators, at least according to my knowledge, did not export goods, there are no special offers on the market for export, which resulted in their relationship, i.e. not publishing the price, without paying those contracted and respecting the contracts and obligations they had towards the producers,” Emir Tutnić, president of the Association of Farmers Zenica Doboj Canton, told Avaz.
He added that, according to the contracts, the producers should have already collected the full amount for the quantities they delivered during the year.
“There are also raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, all those berries that are bought. Realistically, none of the refrigerators have officially announced their final price. We have information that one refrigerator, that is, “Orange Plus”, gave a price of about 8 BAM, while, for example, we have another that announced about 4 BAM. That’s a drastic difference. And no one advertises in the sense of accepting responsibility on the basis of which price was reached and what are the indicators that determine it,” Tutnić pointed out.
Good story
He said that ZDC is one of the strongest cantons in terms of production, although it is also present in Central Bosnia Canton, Una Sana Canton and to some extent in Tuzla and Sarajevo cantons.
“This is one of the most promising productions of previous years, export-oriented. It was a very good story, but something went wrong in the market. It will be a very difficult season. I am sure that some will have to give up production,” concluded Tutnić.
An even bigger problem
“We talk among ourselves as producers. In my opinion and that of my colleagues, a certain number of refrigerators will not be included in the purchase, nor should it be. Because each of them entering the purchase is only a bigger problem for the producers,” said Tutnić.
