There is an interesting story about Serbia's world domination in raspberry production. Namely, an extension worker named Dobrilo Nenadić noticed in the 1980s that, when first young shoots are removed in spring, the yield in the autumn becomes much larger. After further experiments, he concluded that he could provide 3-4 times more raspberries using that method compared to conventional methods. Many producers started using this method and indeed, Serbia become extremely successful raspberry exporter. What's even more interesting is that Nenadić didn't become rich due to this discovery, yet he managed to do something else in a completely unrelated field - he became a popular novelist, receiving multiple awards for his historical novels.
Raspberries perish quite quickly, and I think most of the economic powerhouses in both Northwest and Eastern Europe focus on export and global trade, so it would make sense for a country that exports primarily to its own region to be high up. It's just a guess though
I suspect that some countries are actually underrepresented on these lists.
Take bananas, for example. They're grown in massive numbers across Tanzania as a staple crop, but not so much industrially as opposed to in just household gardens.
And they're the best damned bananas you will EVER eat. Cavendish are horrid by comparison.
Take bananas, for example. They're grown in massive numbers across Tanzania as a staple crop, but not so much industrially as opposed to in just household gardens.
And they're the best damned bananas you will EVER eat. Cavendish are horrid by comparison.