Medlar THE LAST FRUIT of the season

If, as he says, he had listened to his agronomist friend, Milijan Đuričić from Brankovina, about fifteen years ago, medlar from this Valjevo village would have conquered the market today. Several trees of this fruit can be found in almost every rural household. However, it is very rare that someone in Serbia decides to grow medlar on a plantation.

Even though it’s just the beginning, Milijan says that he still made a choice fruit that is not demanding to growand regularly gives birth every year. He raised it three years ago the first so far with twenty trees, and in autumn 2017 he planted another eighty.

“2003 year, my friend, an agronomist, advised me to plant medlar for the reason that she it is not a demanding fruit neither with regard to fertilization, nor when it comes to protection against diseases, a gives birth regularly i has a stable price”, says Milijan Đuričić, a restaurateur for whom agriculture is not his main occupation.

Although his friend explained everything nicely, he of course, like many others, did not listen to him then.

“Then three years ago, since I have a piece of land next to my house that I don’t use and, although it’s not very high-quality, I decided to plant a couple of trees that were left about twenty piecesto raise last year one more for now and now I have 100 trees.

I am slowly filling the space to see how much it produces, but I can see that it is good price. Medlar requires the least amount of workknowledge and when it reaches the genus it will appear financial gain so it doesn’t matter how big it is. Still, that’s better than having nothing at all”, this is how he explained the reasons why he decided to medlar plantation cultivation speaks Milijan Đuričić.

The elder has so far produced a crop that according to him. it wasn’t big, but he and his wife tried it this year to make liqueur for your needs and for your friends. When the second one has arrived for the time being, he says will think about placement.

Medlar is wanted regardless of whether the fruit is fresh or processed. Marmaladeali i jam from the medlar with the easiest sell because the people are curious to try what it is like. There are few on the market. This year a kilogram on the market is 100 dinarsand on the quanta wholesale 50 to 60 dinars.

For processed medlar many would be interested, we will see if we will process it or if it will go fresh. We will try both.

Medlar fruit could sell to those who are already engaged in processing, because in order to start that production I have to have it certain conditionsa technologist, that would be a bit complicated. Or he would possibly sell it on the vatash because 50-60 dinars is a very good priceako poredimo sa purchase price of the plum which is also 15 dinars, and there is more work around it. Investments in medlar are much smallerand even if it is 30 to 40 dinars per kilogram on the Kvata market, it is still worth more,” says our interlocutor.

Medlar

According to the words Nikola Spasojevica professor at the Agricultural School with the Dorm of Students “Valjevo”, medlar has been unfairly neglected fruit type, although it has economic importance because gives birth regularly, early morningthere are no factors affecting yield reduction which depending on ground mud starts from 30 to 50 kilograms per treeand is not a big consumer of mineral and organic fertilizers does not require other significant investments.

“In order to grow something in plantation and intensive production, first of all the sea to have placement on a large market. Our market for medlar it’s not that bigbecause this is a fruit type that the last one to arrive during the year.

Medlar is mainly sold in local markets, and some small quantities of the fruit processed into jams they go to the Belgrade market, while there is no export for now. It is used fresh, but not in large quantities.

It was neglected for the reason that processing is not developed, because there are no industrial processing capacities for medlar. It can be obtained from her quality jam which is highly valued, marmalade, like, brandy and it’s mostly in the home industry,” says Spasojević, a master engineer in fruit growing and viticulture.

To rise medlar plants on ten acres, with the purchase of 80 seedlings, the current price of which is 300 dinars per piece and land cultivation, it is necessary invest 40,000 dinars. With the current selling price of medlar fruit, investments, according to Spasojević, can be made it pays off in three to four years.

Dejan Davidović, Journalist

More than a decade in this business. Author of numerous reports and informative articles in television programs, among which the dominant place was occupied by agriculture. I think that every food producer, even the smallest one, deserves to be talked about and written about.

Source: www.agromedia.rs