Combine picks successes - After machine for picking raspberries and blackberries, Sopot-based Elektronik develops picker for aronia berries, ribes, blueberries, rosehips

eKapija web portal will again this year present Aurea awards for the best investments in 2011 in late March. The new cycle has already begun, and we have paid a visit to the companies whose projects were shortlisted for last year's awards to see how far they have gone with the development of their businesses.

The first Serbian combine for picking raspberries and blueberries, which was designed by Srbobran Petrovic, an engineer and the owner of Sopot-based Elektronik, is in use all around Serbia. However, this unique agricultural machine for picking raspberries mechanically is still in the phase of testing, so that picking is not done for commercial purposes, but solely for the purpose of promoting that combine.

According to the words of the inventor of this machine, the situation is such because farmers are yet to realize its importance and get familiar with the machine. This is where the Ministry of Agriculture will step in and provide assistance.

- A shortage of adequate planted fields is one of the reasons why this machine is not used yet. Raspberries have so far been mainly planted so to be picked manually, and now they need to be planted in a new way in order for the combine to function. The Ministry of Agriculture has promised to help the mechanization of picking.

A prototype of this combine was tested during the picking process in Sabac and Arilje, and it was also presented at the world raspberry symposium last summer in Serbia, which was attended by over 300 visitors from 35 countries.

Petrovic stresses that many people are interested in this combine, adding that they have established numerous contacts, which is why people at Elektronik have no doubt that the picker will sell well in domestic and foreign markets. The combine for picking raspberries and blueberries also won the award presented by the Serbian government for the best technological innovation in 2011.

There is still only one prototype of the combine, and Petrovic says that they are now negotiating the serial production with the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Ministry is also interested in expanding the production of cherry and plum picker, which is also produced by Elektronik. This machine, which won numerous awards at the Novi Sad Fair, has so far been exported to Iran, Croatia, Bulgaria and Turkey.

- We now plan to expand the production and hire new people, and we are also working on a new picker for aronia berries, ribes, blueberries and rosehips – Petrovic reveals Elektronik's plans for the future.

He expects the new picker to be finished until May and presented at this year's Novi Sad Agriculture Fair. As he explains, they have already found a sponsor, so that there is no reason for that not to happen.

- The sponsor is the cold storage plant Sirogojno Company that grows aronia berries, which is why it is interested in investing in the production of the new picker.

According to Petrovic, Elektronik achieved positive results in 2011. The company merged with El-met Sistem from Mladenovac, and they currently employ 10 people.