Petar Vojinović, a farmer from Bijelo Polje, said the roughly one-kilometre gravel road to his family’s land hampers transport and sales from its 12-hectare farm in northern Montenegro. Difficult access contributed to part of the raspberry crop spoiling last summer. Public Works Minister Majda Adžović promised the problem would be resolved, with repairs expected soon.
Vojinović and his wife Zorica work land in Cerovo and Rasovo, growing potatoes and cabbage as well as fruit. Three hectares are planted with strawberries, including around ten varieties, and another three hectares with raspberries. Two orchards across several hectares produce apples, plums and pears.
During the summer, the family focuses on berries, particularly strawberries. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries from the farm reach consumers across Montenegro daily. The family sells through its own retail outlet in Rasadnik, although it briefly paused retail operations as its workload increased. It plans to plant American blueberries on one hectare, combining early and late varieties.
The gravel route becomes difficult to use in rainy weather. The family cannot organise sales from the farm gate and must handle even small-scale transport itself. After rain, Vojinović repairs the access road or pays private contractors to do so; at times, the route is difficult to pass even by tractor.
The access problems caused substantial material losses when raspberries dried and fell within days last summer. Vojinović has repeatedly appealed to the Municipality of Bijelo Polje over the road, but says it did not respond. He raised the issue at a late-August forum of the Europe Now Movement in Bijelo Polje, where Adžović gave her assurance. The farm also grows a new raspberry variety and was preparing cabbage for market while finishing the potato harvest at the time of the account.
