On May 16, parts of southern Serbia, home to the majority of the country's raspberry production, experienced unexpected snowfall, raising concerns over the already vulnerable 2025 harvest. Photos and videos circulating on social media show raspberry plantations blanketed in snow, just weeks before the start of large-scale harvesting.
Serbia, one of the world's leading exporters of frozen raspberries, typically begins early-season deliveries to the European market in mid-June. Initial harvests from plastic-covered greenhouses have already started, but the snow could severely impact open-field crops that were in early stages of fruit development.
According to various estimates, earlier frost events in April had already damaged up to 50% of the potential raspberry yield. The latest snowfall could further reduce output, and some farmers fear a complete crop loss.
Andriy Yarmak, an economist with the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), noted: "While some damage assessments may be emotional given the circumstances, it is clear that the snowfall will significantly affect the outlook for the frozen berry market. Key producing countries are reporting partial crop losses, not only in raspberries but also in apricots and other stone fruits such as cherries, plums, and peaches."
The situation is likely to lead to further revisions of earlier production and price forecasts for the 2025/26 raspberry season. Similar weather-related challenges have also been reported in Moldova, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland, and Romania.
Source: east-fruit.com