Basic Characteristics of the Raspberry Marketing Chain and Position of the Small Farmers in Serbia

The raspberry is one of the most important export products of Serbia. According to FAO data about 80,000 tons of raspberry are exported annually from Serbia with a total value of 165 million USD (2011). That is why the Republic of Serbia is one of the major exporters of this product. Raspberries are mainly exported in the frozen form. The raspberry are mainly grown on small farms, where the farm owners and their families carry out all necessary activities, with the seasonal labor hiring during harvest of raspberries. Positive trends in production are both the result of favorable climate conditions and the knowledge and skills of producers. The increasing demands of customers in terms of product safety, recently led to the development of quality systems that are mainly related to the processing of the products. However, the increased liberalization of international trade and increased risks in the area of food safety stress more attention to the health and safety of the products in primary production as well. It is expected that the primary producers with introducing a quality system achieve better position in the marketing chain. This paper aims to analyze the main characteristics of the raspberry marketing chain and position of small producers from two perspectives - the first one is position of the participants at the beginning of the marketing chain, and the second one is the assessment of the effects of introduction the quality system on the volume of production and sales, as well as on the selling price. The research shows that the marketing chain of primary producers is short, and ends by the nearest cool storage. Introduction of quality systems create additional cost for producers and increased product quality. However, data do not show that higher quality standards are reflected in higher market prices.