According to Serbian Economist, Ukrainian berry producers and processors conducted a technological business tour to Serbia in December 2025, where they studied practices of growing and industrial freezing of berries, primarily raspberries, according to the Berry Growers Association of Ukraine (BGAU).
The trip was organized by the association with the support of the SIPPO program in Ukraine. Five Ukrainian companies and representatives of the association took part in the tour, visiting Serbian berry growing and freezing enterprises and familiarizing themselves with the cold processing chain – from small refrigerators to facilities capable of freezing up to 30% of the national raspberry harvest.
The UBA noted that despite competition between Ukraine and Serbia on the global raspberry market, the Serbian side demonstrated a willingness to share practical experience and technological solutions. The second day of the visit was devoted to professional training at the Institute of Horticulture in Čačak.
Serbian experience also revealed a number of problems that are also characteristic of Ukraine: the industry’s dependence on manual harvesting, labor shortages, and pressure from weather factors. In Serbia, almost all raspberries are harvested by hand, and the average wage for harvesters in the 2025 season was around €50 per day; small farms with an average area of about 0.1 hectares remain the main suppliers of raw materials for processing.
Context: the role of Serbia and Ukraine in raspberries and exports
Serbia maintains its position as the largest exporter of frozen raspberries and related berry crops in world trade: in 2024, it became the top exporter for commodity item HS 081120 (frozen raspberries, blackberries, etc.) – $313.2 million and 99.0 thousand tons. In 2024, Ukraine ranked 4th among exporters under the same heading – $115.4 million and 61.3 thousand tons.
The main destinations for Ukraine’s exports under HS 081120 in 2024 were Poland and Germany (followed by the Czech Republic, France, and Italy), reflecting the orientation of Ukrainian frozen products towards the EU market and the processing chains of Central Europe.
