Producers report a good year for the harvest of fruits and vegetables, but despite this, they are once again faced with a serious problem - the lack of markets for Bulgarian produce. Tons of peaches remain unsold and rot on the ground, while producers are forced to sell at low prices. Because of the problem, producers from the Sliven region went on a protest a week ago, Nova TV reported.
In an orchard near Lovech this year's harvest is rich. The rows of peaches look good, but the produce has difficulty finding a market.
One of the producers is 26-year-old Momchil Ivanov from Lovech. Until recently, he was a professional martial arts competitor, but decided to focus on agriculture and the food industry.
Together with his family, he already cultivates about 200 acres with peaches, plums and cherries. While in previous years the main problems were related to natural phenomena such as rain and hail, this year the main challenge is the realization of the production.
„Our expenses this year are almost double. We have imports, low prices and, as you can see, everything falls and rots on the ground. An awful lot of the harvest has rotted and is currently continuing to rot. A carpet of peaches“, said Ivanov.
According to him, between 60 and 70% of the harvest has already been lost. Producers are still harvesting the later variety “Hale“, but a large part of the remaining fruit remains unsold.
According to Ivanov, the main problem is the import of peaches, mainly from Greece. Bulgarian producers sell their produce wholesale for about 60-70 euro cents per kilogram, while imported fruit is offered at competitive prices. “We are not traders, we are producers. We sell only to traders and the tonnages are large“, he explained.
The producer admitted that Greek peaches have a better commercial appearance, but according to him, Bulgarian production is superior to imported ones in taste and quality. Despite the huge losses, Momchil Ivanov does not intend to give up farming. He said that he draws motivation from his years as an athlete.