Strawberries and Cherries Get Cheaper: Latest Market Prices
Local seasonal fruit is in full supply. Strawberries have dropped to around 250 dinars and cherries to 300 to 500 dinars per kilo, with vendors expecting further cuts.
- Strawberries at Belgrade markets have dropped to around 250 dinars per kilo, with some local varieties at 400 to 700.
- Cherries have fallen from 800 to 1,500 down to roughly 300 to 500 dinars, the largest ones at Kalenic still up to 2,000.
- In Cacak, old potatoes cost 70 to 80, new potatoes 190 to 200, tomatoes 200 to 250 and cabbage 40 to 50 dinars.
- Vendors expect prices to keep falling in early June.
Wondering whether it is finally the moment to fill your basket with fruit without feeling the pinch? It is, at least when it comes to strawberries and cherries. The start of June has brought a full supply of local seasonal fruit, and prices have fallen noticeably in just a few days.
At Belgrade markets, strawberries have dropped to around 250 dinars (about 2.1 euros) per kilo, while certain local varieties still hold a price of 400 to 700 dinars. Cherries are a story of their own: from the spring level of 800 to 1,500 dinars they have come down to 300 to 500 dinars per kilo. The biggest and best looking ones, the cherries shoppers spot first, can still cost up to 2,000 dinars at Kalenic.
How much do fruit and vegetables cost at the markets now?
The difference from last month is visible to the naked eye, and it is felt most clearly on the scale. A vendor at Kalenic puts it simply.
Now people buy by the kilo, before it was just a small basket.
A pensioner at Zeleni venac still keeps a careful eye on her budget, choosing smaller amounts but shopping more often.
The cherries are gorgeous, but I take just 200 grams at a time.
That the price drop is not only a Belgrade story is clear from the market in Cacak, where these days you can find the following prices:
- Old potatoes: 70 to 80 dinars per kilo
- New potatoes: 190 to 200 dinars
- Tomatoes: 200 to 250 dinars
- Cabbage: 40 to 50 dinars
Alongside strawberries and cherries, the stalls are slowly filling with apricots, local tomatoes, new potatoes and even the first imported watermelons. The offer grows richer by the day, which is good news for anyone planning a household budget a week ahead.
Will prices keep falling?
The short answer: vendors believe they will. The season for local strawberries and cherries has only just hit full swing, and once the harvest arrives in large quantities the price almost always follows that wave downward. Vendors at several markets are forecasting further drops in early June.
Here is our practical tip if you are planning to shop: come early in the morning when the choice is widest, compare the price at two or three stalls, and you do not have to take the biggest fruit if your goal is preserves or juice, since smaller cherries and strawberries are often half the price. For fresh fruit on the table the finest pieces still carry a premium, but even that keeps easing week by week.
It is also worth watching the days when a market restocks, because that is when vendors first cut prices to sell fresh fruit while it is at its best. A small trick that pays off for anyone who shops at the market regularly.
So, have you already noticed lower prices for strawberries and cherries at your local market, or are you still waiting for them to drop?
