The production of rose in Bulgaria increases by 31% in 2026, compared to the previous year. This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski during a meeting of the Advisory Council on Oil-yielding Roses at the Ministry of Agriculture. The Council was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Yanislav Yanchev, as well as representatives of industry organizations and stakeholders from the sector.
„Roses are our biggest priority at the moment. I have not stopped raising the topic of support in this sector at every Council of Ministers of Agriculture in Brussels“, said Minister Abrovski. He emphasized that the Ministry's efforts are aimed at providing a targeted budget for oil-yielding roses in a European regulation, similar to the separate support provided for milk. The goal is for the sector to have an independent financial resource that does not depend solely on national decisions.
Minister Abrovski also noted that protecting the interests of Bulgarian rose producers at the European level is a challenge and the topic remains among our main priorities. He emphasized the importance of our country as a producer of valuable rose oil. “After we produce something unique, we must also control its quality. The state needs to be able to guarantee at any time that what is sold is an authentic product“, the minister emphasized. He informed that funds have been provided for the creation of a laboratory for quality control of rose oil and there is a decision of the Council of Ministers to this effect. According to him, its construction will contribute to ensuring quality and trust in it.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2026 the produced quantity of rose flower reaches 9,555.9 tons compared to 6,607.8 tons in 2025. This represents an increase of 31% on an annual basis. During the current campaign, 9,308.7 tons of rose flower were sold for processing, or about 98% of the produced quantity. The processed quantities amounted to 9,290.4 tons, which is 41% more than the previous year. As of September 30, 2026, the total registered area of oil-bearing rose plantations is 5,336 hectares, and the number of registered rose producers is 2,975. The register includes 82 rose oil processors and 57 rose blossom processing facilities.
Actions have been taken to update the register in accordance with the actual state of the plantations. It is planned to carry out a complete re-inventory of oil-bearing rose plantations in 2027, during flowering.
The participants in the Advisory Council discussed the current state of the sector, plant protection products, labor, opportunities for more sustainable support for producers and the need to guarantee the quality and competitiveness of Bulgarian rose oil.