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Abstract
The raspberry is one of the most important export products of Serbia.
According to FAO data about 80,000 tons of raspberry are exported annually
from Serbia with a total value of 165 million USD (2011). That is why the
Republic of Serbia is one of the major exporters of this product. Raspberries are
mainly exported in the frozen form. The raspberry are mainly grown on small
farms, where the farm owners and their families carry out all necessary
activities, with the seasonal labor hiring during harvest of raspberries. Positive
trends in production are both the result of favorable climate conditions and the
knowledge and skills of producers. The increasing demands of customers in
terms of product safety, recently led to the development of quality systems that
are mainly related to the processing of the products. However, the increased
liberalization of international trade and increased risks in the area of food safety
stress more attention to the health and safety of the products in primary
production as well. It is expected that the primary producers with introducing a
quality system achieve better position in the marketing chain. This paper aims
to analyze the main characteristics of the raspberry marketing chain and
position of small producers from two perspectives - the first one is position of
the participants at the beginning of the marketing chain, and the second one is the assessment of the effects of introduction the quality system on the volume of
production and sales, as well as on the selling price. The research shows that the
marketing chain of primary producers is short, and ends by the nearest cool
storage. Introduction of quality systems create additional cost for producers and
increased product quality. However, data do not show that higher quality
standards are reflected in higher market prices.