Plum festival budget nearly equals price of 200 tons of fruit; growers unhappy with low prices

Plum growers in Serbia's Toplica region are expressing deep dissatisfaction with the current purchase price of plums, which has fallen to a reported 18 dinars per kilogram. This price, they claim, is "humiliating" and fails to cover even the basic costs of cultivation, let alone the year-round labor involved.

"This is not a price, this is humiliation," said one plum grower from the Blace area. "Only the picker takes eight dinars per kilogram, which means we are left with only ten dinars. And where are the pruning, protection, fertilizer, fuel, machinery, packaging, and the whole year's effort?" Growers report having both a good yield and high quality this year, yet are being offered the lowest price in recent history. Many are considering cutting down their orchards or not harvesting at all.

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This is not a price, this is humiliation. Only the picker takes eight dinars per kilogram, which means we are left with only ten dinars. And where are the pruning, protection, fertilizer, fuel, machinery, packaging, and the whole year's effort?

Meanwhile, the municipality of Blace is allocating 3.5 million dinars (excluding VAT) for its annual "Days of Plum" festival. This year's event will feature performances by popular artists including Magla bend, Amadeus bend, Vesele devedesete, and Jelena Karleuša. This significant expenditure on entertainment stands in stark contrast to the economic struggles faced by the local plum producers.

The festival, traditionally a celebration of Blace's renowned plum production, is taking place at a particularly difficult time for growers. The economic viability of plum farming is in question, threatening the survival of family orchards. The festival's budget alone could be used to purchase nearly 195 tons of plums at the current low price, illustrating the disconnect between the celebratory event and the harsh market realities for those who produce the fruit.

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The festival is nice and should exist, but it would be much nicer if we could live from plums, not just celebrate them. If a kilogram is worth 18 dinars, and the picker eight, next year perhaps no one will even organize a competition for the best plum orchard, because people will give up on production.