"Instead of 12 tons I only harvested 5": First the frost, then the drought cut this year's apple yield in half

The purchase price of fresh apples is around 35 dinars, while the price for second class and fallen apples is, as every year, much lower

Apple harvest is in full swing, and judging what fruit farmers from the village of Miokovci near Cacak have to say, both the pickers and the orchard owners will have less work to do this year. Affected first by the frost and then the drought, the apple yield has been cut in half, but what survived is of excellent quality.

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"I expected to have more than 12 tons of apples in my orchard, but there's been only five. The weather disturbances decimated the apple crop and that is why the quantities are much smaller. What survived is mostly first class," says Darko Topalovic from the village of Miokovci.

The purchase price of fresh apples is around 35 dinars, while the price for second class and fallen apples is, as every year, much lower.

"Those who sold them immediately, fresh, got about 30 dinars per kilogram, while those who had the means to store the fruit in refrigerators are waiting for a better price in the winter when there's more demand. Like every year, we put our apples in cold storage and prepare them for the European and Russian markets," says this well-known local fruit farmer.

This year's situation with apples just proves once again that making a living in these "open-air factories" is quite uncertain and depends on a number of factors. Nevertheless, fruit farmers manage in various ways, so when one crop fails that year, they make up for the losses thanks to another type of fruit.

"Maybe this year was not great when it comes to apples, so we make up with other crops such as cherries, which had an excellent price, variety and quality. We also did well with plums, which, due to an excellent year, we didn't even get to pick, let alone deliver all," concluded Topalovic.

(Telegraf Biznis/Rina)