Serbia: Fruit production endangered by freezing weather

Mass bee deaths in Serbia

Serbia is facing mass bee die-offs, with more than 50 percent of bee colonies lost. The likely cause is last year's drought and a critical pollen shortage, which led to poor nutrition during the colony development period, according to Rodoljub Zivadinovic, President of the Federation of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia. Speaking to Beta news agency, Zivadinovic stated that data is still being collected from across the country, but in some municipalities, mortality rates have reached as high as 90 percent. "One beekeeper, for example, was left with only a few living colonies out of 365 hives. On the other side, in Apatin, the death rate is around 15 percent," he said. Zivadinovic added that the primary suspected cause is the lack of pollen, as colonies located in river valleys—where moisture was more prevalent—suffered fewer losses due to the availability of flowering plants that provided some pollen. A single bee colony typically consists of 20.000 to 50.000 worker bees and several thousand drones. Under extreme heat and drought conditions, bees were poorly nourished, which weakened their immune systems and made them more vulnerable to viral diseases. According to Zivadinovic, more than 20 types of bee viruses exist, and at least two to three are found in nearly every hive. A similar situation has been observed in Hungary, while in the United States, 62 percent of bee colonies have died this year. "In the U.S., the issue has persisted since 2006, with at least 30 percent of colonies dying annually. Tens of millions of dollars have been invested in research, but the exact cause remains unknown," Zivadinovic said. The large-scale loss of bees could result in significant damage to agriculture, as crop pollination will be severely reduced unless Serbian beekeepers manage to restore their colonies. However, many beekeepers are unlikely to do so, due to the unprofitability of honey production—a consequence of widespread imports of counterfeit honey, which sells at prices two to five times lower than the domestic production cost, Zivadinovic explained.

Spring frost threatens fruit trees in Serbia

Frost in March and early April destroyed around 100.000 tons of fruit in Serbia, according to Zoran Keserovic, a retired professor from the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad and a fruit-growing expert. Speaking to the Beta news agency, Keserovic stated that frost between March 18 and 19 wiped out approximately 80 percent of apricots and 65 to 70 percent of early "Kordia" cherries. "This was the most severe frost in the past 20 years. It hit the Sumadija region and was even recorded in the south. The frost also damaged the 'Oblacinska' sour cherry in the hilly areas, which is usually resistant to low temperatures. However, the cherry trees had already begun budding due to unusually warm weather earlier in the season," Keserovic explained. He added that a second frost, during the night of April 6 to 7, further devastated apricot orchards, even in the elevated areas of Fruska Gora, and struck the Sumadija region again, where it severely damaged apples—particularly the "Idared" variety, up to 70 percent—as well as pears and plums. The professor noted that Serbia's average annual fruit production from 2000 to 2023 was 1.466 million tons. Last year, output fell to 1.25 million tons, and for this year, he estimated a total of between 1.1 and 1.15 million tons. "When leading fruit crops such as plums, apples, and sour cherries are hit by frost, it represents a major blow to fruit production," he said and added that despite last year's drought, fruit blossomed well this year, and only those growers equipped with antifrost protection systems were able to save their crops. He also emphasized that at temperatures of minus five to six degrees Celsius, common frost mitigation methods—such as smoke generation using burning straw bales or spraying plants 24 hours before frost with a mix of algae and amino acids—are ineffective.

Is agricultural insurance the answer to spring frosts?

Apricot orchards have been practically devastated in past days due to the effects of spring frost across Serbia. In some areas, such as western Serbia, the surroundings of cities of Cacak and Smederevo, as well as in Vojvodina, the damage is as high as 100%. Most of these orchards were not insured, meaning fruit growers are bearing the full financial loss. When asked how many orchards in Serbia are insured against frost and in which regions this type of insurance is most common, the Association of Serbian Insurers (UOS) emphasized that, due to increasingly evident climate changeleading to more frequent and severe catastrophic consequences both in number and scope,most insurance companies approach this type of insurance cautiously. They underline that one reason is that farmers often establish orchards in unsuitable areas, where crops are more likely to freeze. The Association points out that this type of insurance depends on many factors, which is why the insured areas vary from year to year. If winters are cold, last long, and don’t have extended warm periods, the expectation is that fruit trees will remain dormant, and the probability of damage due to spring frost decreases. As a result, more farmers choose not to insure their orchards against this risk. However, that was not the case this year with apricots, peaches, and some varieties of plums and sour cherries, which were damaged by frost. Spring frost insurance is most commonly taken out in areas with a long-standing tradition of fruit growing—central, western, and southern Serbia, according to the Association. The latest data from UOS show that, depending on the type of crops and fruit, between 12–15% of total agricultural land in Serbia is insured. Just a few years ago, that figure was around 10%. The Association believes that, in order to increase agricultural insurance, it would be important for the government to even up subsidies and provide fair treatment to all regions in Serbia. In other words, they suggest that the state insurance premium subsidies—which currently range from 40% to 70%, depending on the region—should be standardized at, for example, 60% and uniform for the whole country. They note that farmers feel the current subsidy structure favors certain regions over others. There is also a need for greater involvement of local governments in providing funds dedicated to subsidizing insurance premiums, reports daily Politika.

Innovations in agriculture: Implementation of Horizon Project “Georgia” begins

The implementation of the three-year Horizon project titled “Georgia” has begun, with the participation of agricultural experts from Serbia. The goal of the project is the rational management of natural resources and the improvement of soil quality, in line with the principles of sustainable agriculture. The focus is on improvement of the irrigation by using digital tools and technologies based on artificial intelligence, while strengthening crop resilience to climate change and preserving soil health are the project’s primary objectives. Additionally, the aim is for the research results from two plots in Kanjiza and Srbobran, that will apply new production methodologies in the coming period, to be made accessible to as many farmers as possible, reports RT Vojvodina.

Supermarket boycott yields mixed results

Local consumer association Efektiva called for a month-long boycott of the supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize - Maxi throughout April, citing high prices as the primary reason. This followed earlier appeals for one-day and one-week boycotts, which produced varying levels of impact, according to data from Serbia's Tax Administration, Nova Ekonomija portal reports. The first significant action took place on January 24, when student protests included a call for a general strike, urging consumers to refrain from spending—not only on shopping, but also in hospitality venues. On that day, Serbia's five largest retail chains—Delhaize (Maxi and Shop&Go), Mercator (Roda and Idea), DIS, Univerexport, and Lidl—issued a total of 879.204 fiscal receipts, with overall sales amounting to 8.89 mn EUR, or about 15.3 EUR per transaction. In comparison, on January 23, one day prior, the number of receipts issued was 1.148.024, with a total turnover of 12.31 mn EUR. This represents a drop of 268.820 receipts—a decline of nearly 25% on the day of the boycott. A second boycott, initiated by Efektiva, was held on January 31. On that day, 851.485 receipts were issued, while sales reached 7.8 mn EUR. The day before, there were 1.137.840 receipts, with a turnover of 11.4 mn EUR—again, a decline of around 25% in both transactions and revenue. Efektiva subsequently called for a week-long boycott of the five largest retailers from February 10 to 14. However, according to official data from the Tax Administration, no noticeable impact was observed during that period. The number of daily fiscal receipts remained steady at around one million, consistent with other periods when no boycott was in place. No significant decrease in revenue was recorded either, reported Nova Ekonomija.