Bulgarian agricultural leaders warn of fruit and vegetable sector collapse

Bulgarian agricultural leaders are warning of a potential collapse in the domestic fruit and vegetable production sector due to low purchase prices, unregulated markets, and cheap imports. Tsvetan Tsekov, chairman of the National Branch Chamber Fruits and Vegetables, stated that without urgent government intervention, local production could face extinction. He highlighted that producers are currently forced to discard high-quality crops or leave them to rot in fields because they cannot compete with cheap imports that often use carcinogenic pesticides.

Georgi Vasilev, head of the Bulgarian Pepper Association, has proposed the creation of a National Cooperative Organization to revitalize the industry. His plan involves organizing meetings between producers, factories, and markets to facilitate direct negotiations. The proposed model aims to increase domestic production by 120% and reduce imports by 60% through a system of six agro-regions, 12 regional logistics centers with cold storage, and 20 processing factories. This initiative seeks to eliminate intermediaries and establish a unified brand, ‘Choose Bulgarian’, to ensure fair pricing and direct sales.

Currently, Bulgaria produces only about 15% of the fruits and vegetables it consumes, with domestic production dropping to as low as 2-3% during the winter months. The sector faces significant challenges, including crumbling irrigation infrastructure, labor shortages, and a high level of market speculation that causes prices to rise significantly between the producer and the final consumer.