Serbia is the third country in the world in terms of plum production, right after China and Romania. However, our country fails to derive any greater benefit from it.
Plums are grown on about 2.5 million hectares in the world, and from year to year there is a slight increase in its plantations, the Agrosmart portal reports.
About ten million tons of plums are produced annually in the world, of which in Serbia, on average, a little more than half a million tons, in better fertile middle years. There used to be years with higher yields, but lower ones are also recorded.
“So there is also a difference in the areas under this fruit tree, when it comes to what is shown by domestic researchers, but also in European analyses.” However, those differences are minimal and negligible,” writes journalist Branislav Gulan.
In Serbia, plums are sometimes grown on an area of up to 74,000 hectares, with an average production of 550,000 tons per year. Serbia is third in the world in terms of plum production, and we are fifth in the world in terms of prune exports, now with around 5,500 tons annually.
With the increase in the number of plum trees, its export also increases. In 2021, the export of plums (mainly dried) from Serbia to Russia, Slovenia, France… was worth 15.4 million euros, while other dried fruits were exported for 14.4 million euros to Europe, the USA and the United Arab Emirates, they note. in the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (PKS).
In our country, the production of plums is up to 700,000 tons. Most of the grapes go for brandy, only 20 grains go to the higher stages of processing. In 2022, about 50 million liters of brandy were produced.
