Homemade chutney may become more expensive this fall, but the claim that Bulgarians will be left without it due to prices is not confirmed by the available market data. The main pressure comes from tomatoes, while peppers are reported to have decreased in wholesale prices.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the average wholesale price of tomatoes reached 1.35 euros per kilogram during the period 14-18 September. This is an increase of 28.6% compared to the same period in 2025. For the same period, green pepper was sold on average for 0.91 EUR per kilogram, and red pepper for 1.06 EUR. On an annual basis, their prices are 8.1% and 6.2% lower, respectively.
The picture is different in retail sales. August data show that green pepper has increased in price by 20.5% compared to a year earlier. Tomatoes, however, were 1.7% cheaper. This means that the final bill for lyutenitsa depends not only on the product, but also on the location, type of vegetable and the quantity purchased.
Fewer tomatoes, but no shortage of pepper
Production data explains part of the differences. As of September 3, the harvested areas with tomatoes outdoors were 35.1% below the previous year's level, and those with pepper - 3.3% less. The amount of tomatoes harvested from open areas has shrunk by 23.6%, while pepper production has increased by 1.2% year-on-year.
A check of markets near Plovdiv shows that canned peppers were being sold for around EUR 1 per kilogram. A producer quoted by the television said that last year the same product was sold for 2-2.20 leva, while in 2026 the price is around EUR 1.20 and even lower. At the same markets, traders note that buyers often bargain for larger quantities.
“Last year, we sold peppers at the same price in leva, 2-2.20 leva, now 1.20 euros, even this year it is a little lower“, producer Krasimira Valkova told BNT.At the end of August, tomatoes for canning were priced at 0.50 EUR per kilogram, and red peppers – 1.50 EUR on a market in Northwestern Bulgaria. In households that have their own garden, the cost of raw materials is significantly lower, but the cost of labor, oil, spices, jars and electricity or wood for processing remains.
Thus, in 2026, homemade lyutenitsa does not prove impossible to prepare, but the savings compared to the purchased product now depend much more on where the vegetables are purchased and whether some of them are produced in one's own yard.