Association of Raspberry Farmers of Serbia threatens to BLOCK cold stores and GO ON HUNGER STRIKE; requesting DISMISSAL of Minister of Trade

President of the Association of Raspberry and Blackberry Farmers of Serbia, Dobrivoje Radovic, has said that at the session of the Managing Board, the association made a decision to block the cold stores with machines and start a hunger strike if the Serbian government does not dismiss Minister of Trade Rasim Ljajic within three days, accusing him of not „regulating“ the market, which is why the price of raspberries is low, about 140 dinars per kilogram, although the supply is low. „Wholesalers blackmail us offering a low price, although after the bad weather conditions that affected us several times this spring, a quarter of the quantity of raspberries and blackberries remained, the supply is low, but the quality is first-class,“ Radovic told Beta. He added that raspberry farmers requested the production price determined by the commission, formed with the help of the Ministry of Agriculture of Serbia, of RSD 173 per kilogram excluding the cost of transport. Radovic said raspberries had been imported and sold at stores at astronomical prices – a package of 125 grams for RSD 136. According to him, with the offered price of RSD 140 producers cannot cover even the picking costs.

Izvor: Beta

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