Serbia’s fruit production rose by 26 per cent last year, with plums and grapes demonstrating the strongest growth.

Grape production was up 49 per cent on 2005 to reach 350,000t, while overall growth was dominated by plums, which grew 82 per cent to exceed 550,000 tonnes - half of Serbia’s total fruit output.

Apple production increased by 21 per cent to 240,000t, making up 17 per cent of the total.

Meanwhile, Serbian producers are set to exhibit their traditional apple varieties at Fruit Logistica this week.

Some of the colorful varieties can be traced as far back as the Roman era, and feature old Serbian names such as Kablarka, Budimka, Kozara and Shumatovka.

Commenting on the limited edition varieties, Dragan Milosavljevic of the Ari Nova growers’ association said: “The heirloom apples are definitely something fun for the market but of course we have the usual varieties like Granny Smith, Red Delicious and so on.”

The Serbia exhibit at Fruit Logistica will also feature berries, mushrooms, truffles and stonefruit.

It has been organised in conjunction with the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, the Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA), the USAID-Serbia Enterprise Development Project and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

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