Fruit Production as a Factor of Rural Area Development in Serbia

Fruit growing as a specific plant production activity can contribute highly to the economic development of the region, which is particularly pronounced in upland areas. Environmental predispositions of these parts of Serbia provide them with certain comparative advantages over other areas, while, on the other hand, these areas are predominated by farms of chiefly mixed or fruit growing and livestock – farming type. In addition, long fruit growing tradition is generally the main characteristic of these areas. The most frequent and sometimes even crucial motives are the economic ones because fruit production can lead to considerably higher production values per hectare compared to common subsistence forms of farming, which often has a decisive effect on farms and fruit production intensification. In agricultural land structure of Serbia the share of orchards is 4.7%, it is 6.8% in the central part of Serbia and in some upland areas it even exceeds 15% (the orchard proportion in the region of Cacak is 15.2%)