Raspberry farmers take protest to Belgrade

Members of an association gathering raspberry farmers in Arilje, western Serbia, protested and said they will leave for Belgrade on foot. Earlier on Thursday, they said that some 40,000 of them will likely take the protest over the prices of the fruit to Belgrade to seek protection from the state. According to reports, between 2,000 and 5,000 were protesting today. Raspberry farmers take protest to Belgrade The farmers gathered in the association dubbed Vilamet say that cold storage facilities hold a monopoly on setting the price of the fruit, which they find to be too low. But the companies who buy off the fruit said they would not raise the prices, and justified this with poor quality of this year's harvest. Ahead of the protest this Thursday, the farmers met with representatives of cold storage companies and those from the Ministry of Agriculture. "We have agreed with raspberry producers to define rules on classes of raspberries, which the ministry has already done, and sent to the president of the Vilamet from Arilje, so that he can comment on it, and we are making an appeal that he submits it to the ministry as soon as possible," said Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Zeljko Radisevic. "The ministry has at the same time asked cold storages to raise the advance price for raspberries," he said, and added that the ministry has, in line with an agreement, sent its inspectors to all locations where raspberries were sold. This resulted in 13 complaints filed in the Zlatiborski District in the west of the country. The farmers are angry that the ministry did not apply the Law on Protection of Competition, and the Law on Protection of Raspberry Quality. Although they were not satisfied with this year's prices, they expected the state to use its mechanisms and protect them. Meanwhile in Belgrade, Agriculture Minister Sasa Dragin said that he met several times with Vilamet President Dragisa Terzic, and that it was agreed for the ministry to send a request to the Competition Commission in order to ascertain whether the competition was violated in that market. The ministry will file criminal and misdemeanor charges against persons who spread false information about this year's raspberry harvest, and used media to mislead the farmers about the measures undertaken by the state to protect them, said a statement. (FoNet)

Raspberry farmers take protest to Belgrade

The farmers gathered in the association dubbed Vilamet say that cold storage facilities hold a monopoly on setting the price of the fruit, which they find to be too low.

But the companies who buy off the fruit said they would not raise the prices, and justified this with poor quality of this year's harvest.

Ahead of the protest this Thursday, the farmers met with representatives of cold storage companies and those from the Ministry of Agriculture.

"We have agreed with raspberry producers to define rules on classes of raspberries, which the ministry has already done, and sent to the president of the Vilamet from Arilje, so that he can comment on it, and we are making an appeal that he submits it to the ministry as soon as possible," said Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Željko Radišević.

"The ministry has at the same time asked cold storages to raise the advance price for raspberries," he said, and added that the ministry has, in line with an agreement, sent its inspectors to all locations where raspberries were sold. This resulted in 13 complaints filed in the Zlatiborski District in the west of the country.

The farmers are angry that the ministry did not apply the Law on Protection of Competition, and the Law on Protection of Raspberry Quality.

Although they were not satisfied with this year's prices, they expected the state to use its mechanisms and protect them.

Meanwhile in Belgrade, Agriculture Minister Saša Dragin said that he met several times with Vilamet President Dragiša Terzić, and that it was agreed for the ministry to send a request to the Competition Commission in order to ascertain whether the competition was violated in that market.

The ministry will file criminal and misdemeanor charges against persons who spread false information about this year's raspberry harvest, and used media to mislead the farmers about the measures undertaken by the state to protect them, said a statement.