Blueberry season begins around this time of year, with the wild fruit in high demand both on the domestic market and abroad. Every summer, picking and selling blueberries provide an important source of income for residents of the Tetovo Highlands.
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However, local residents say they are facing unfair competition, as people from Kosovo, Albania and other cities across the country also come to Shar Mountain to pick blueberries. They claim that since Shar Mountain was declared a national park, the restrictions imposed on the local population have not been enforced equally for everyone.
Besim Abdija, a resident of Shipkovica, says blueberries sell for around 500 denars per kilogram, although picking them is tiring and requires considerable effort. According to him, villagers are penalized when they cut wood for personal use, while people coming from elsewhere to pick blueberries are not sufficiently monitored.
Abdija says blueberries are plentiful, but objects to the fact that foreign nationals from Albania and Kosovo also pick them. He says local residents pay and must obtain permits to pick without disturbance, while complaining that newcomers are not penalized, unlike villagers, who are punished if they cut down a tree. Reiterating that the crop is abundant, he adds that the price reaches 500 denars per kilogram, but picking the fruit is not easy work.
The National Park has announced that a new regulation will be implemented for the first time this year. Residents living within the national park area are exempt from payment, while people coming from outside its territory must pay 2,000 denars per year. A fee of 50,000 denars has been set for companies, with an additional 5 denars charged for every kilogram collected.
Evzal Elmazi, director of Shar Mountain National Park, explains that all local residents living in settlements connected to the park’s territory are entitled to collect plant products free of charge. If they cooperate with or sign agreements with any of the collection centers, the relevant entity must submit to the park a list of the people engaged, based on the contracts concluded between them. Special permits will then be issued to these collectors. Elmazi adds that people whose ID card address shows that they live outside the park’s settlements must pay a permit fee of 500 denars.
Blueberries are considered a wild fruit with numerous health benefits. They are widely used in food production, as well as in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and detergent industries. This year, four companies have applied for permits to sign contracts with Shar Mountain National Park. /tv21
