The Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski officially launched the 2026 harvest campaign. During the ceremony, which took place in the village of Drenov, Lovech region, Minister Abrovski stated that a good harvest is never a coincidence, but is the result of professionalism, dedication and responsibility to the Bulgarian land. “The long journey from autumn sowing to harvesting the last berry in the warehouses is associated with a lot of work, perseverance and hopes. Thanks to the efforts of agricultural producers and the application of modern agrotechnical practices, Bulgaria continues to be among the leading wheat producers not only in Europe, but also globally“, said Minister Abrovski.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, this year the estimated production of the 2026 harvest is expected to be between 6.5 and 6.8 million tons of wheat and slightly over 1 million tons of barley.
The event, part of the initiative “Golden Harvest - Lovech 2026“, was also attended by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Iliyana Yotova, the Mayor of Lovech Stratsimir Petkov, the Regional Governor Plamen Hristov, the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Forestry of the 52nd National Assembly Yavor Gechev, members of parliament, the Executive Director of the State Fund “Agriculture“ Vladislava Kazakova, the chairman of the National Association of Grain Producers Iliya Prodanov and farmers from the region.
Earlier, Minister Abrovski commented to the media that at the moment there is no reason for concern about the availability of raw milk in the country. He pointed out that for the period from January 1 to June 1, 2026, imported milk amounts represent only 7.5% of the total amount used in Bulgaria. Regarding the control over food prices and the relations between producers and retail chains, Plamen Abrovski was categorical that there is no arm-twisting of producers, but there is control. He noted that up to this point, the state has simply not implemented such a measure, and if there are attempts by retail chains to exert pressure or apply unfair practices, the law is already in force and will be implemented with all its severity.
Minister Abrovski announced that the Ministry had received signals from producers, explaining that one of them, received last week, was related to “Basket with Care“, but it later became clear that it had no relation to the initiative. According to him, the producers have already submitted their official signals to the Commission for Protection of Competition, after a meeting with representatives of the Ministry. “We will be uncompromising towards anyone who applies unfair practices towards Bulgarian agricultural producers“, he also emphasized.
The Minister also commented on the need to restore the hydro-ameliorative infrastructure in the country. "Over the past 20 years, irrigation facilities have been destroyed and cut up for scrap, leaving farmers without water. The government's priority is to restore this network, although in practice we have to start from scratch," he added.