In the last two years alone, over 150 beekeepers in the Dobrich region have given up the craft. At the same time, the remaining professional producers are increasing the number of their bee colonies to compensate for the low purchase prices. According to the chairman of the association “Bee Dobrich 1946“ Galin Georgiev, this trend poses serious risks for both the sector and nature.
“Of all the people who have tried to deal with up to about a hundred hives, a large part of them have given up. Those who continue professionally are increasing their families because the low purchase price does not bring them enough income“, he pointed out.
Beekeeper Galina Georgieva, who has been engaged in beekeeping since 2012, is also forced to reduce her farm: “We currently have about 1,000 families and we will reduce the number to 200. One of the reasons is spraying. We cannot renew families every year.“ Added to this are the low purchase prices: “In 2013-2014 the price was 2.7 euros, in 2023 - 3 euros, and now it is 2.7 euros again. At this inflation rate, it would be logical for honey to cost over 4 euros“, commented beekeeper Martin Petrov.
“I started with 33 hives, now there are about 450 and we are simply forced to build larger apiaries because of the low purchase price“, says Desislav Yanakiev.
Beekeepers warn that the disappearance of small farms will affect not only honey production, but also agriculture and biodiversity. “When small beekeepers disappear, there will be very large areas where there will be no pollinators. There will also be no vegetables, fruits – everything that is important for feeding people“, said Galin Georgiev.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2025, only 27 agreements were concluded between beekeepers and farmers in the country for crop pollination – an indicator that, according to the industry, further highlights the deepening problems in the sector.