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Poor crop of fruit in Balkans
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Saturday 29 September 2007
With temperatures often above 100 degrees Fahrenheit from mid-June until the beginning of September, the summer brought unprecedented drought to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, which are all highly dependent on agriculture.
"Something should finally be done so we don't look into the skies that should bless our crops," said Ratko Marjanovic, 62, from Staro Mirijevo village on the outskirts of Belgrade. "That is what my grandfather did, but we live in the 21st century, don't we?"
Like many farmers in his village, who mainly grow vegetables to sell to capital Belgrade, Marjanovic is considering buying a sprinkler system for his fields. "It will cost several thousand euros, but it is nothing when I count what I lost due to the drought," he said.
The Serbian agriculture ministry has calculated the damage to crops from the drought at US$494 million. Agricultural produce makes up almost 20 percent of exports from Serbia. Maize, grain and fruits -- particularly berries -- are export products that are in high demand.
"Our crop exports are rising 20 percent each year, making agriculture the healthiest part of the Serbian economy," agriculture minister Slobodan Milosavljevic said at a press conference. "We expect this year's exports to reach more than US$1.5 billion."
Farmers say little was done to help them. In Serbia, as in neighboring Croatia, irrigation is discussed only after severe droughts, which have been occurring once every three to five years.
"Only 1.2 percent of 3.2 million hectares of arable land is being irrigated in Serbia," Branislav Gulan from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce said. "That is 15 times less than the average at the global level."
"Something should finally be done so we don't look into the skies that should bless our crops," said Ratko Marjanovic, 62, from Staro Mirijevo village on the outskirts of Belgrade. "That is what my grandfather did, but we live in the 21st century, don't we?"
Like many farmers in his village, who mainly grow vegetables to sell to capital Belgrade, Marjanovic is considering buying a sprinkler system for his fields. "It will cost several thousand euros, but it is nothing when I count what I lost due to the drought," he said.
The Serbian agriculture ministry has calculated the damage to crops from the drought at US$494 million. Agricultural produce makes up almost 20 percent of exports from Serbia. Maize, grain and fruits -- particularly berries -- are export products that are in high demand.
"Our crop exports are rising 20 percent each year, making agriculture the healthiest part of the Serbian economy," agriculture minister Slobodan Milosavljevic said at a press conference. "We expect this year's exports to reach more than US$1.5 billion."
Farmers say little was done to help them. In Serbia, as in neighboring Croatia, irrigation is discussed only after severe droughts, which have been occurring once every three to five years.
"Only 1.2 percent of 3.2 million hectares of arable land is being irrigated in Serbia," Branislav Gulan from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce said. "That is 15 times less than the average at the global level."
