Bulgaria is the record holder for the increase in the price of meat in the European Union, says the European statistical agency Eurostat. In February in our country, all types of meat, excluding chicken, rose in price by more than eight percent compared to the same month last year. At the same time, livestock breeders claim that the purchase price has decreased, Nova TV reports.
Bulgarians especially like pork. And not only did it not increase in price, but according to the data of one of the largest pig complexes in the country, it was traded at a lower price.
"The gap is down. We trade live pigs, the price there last year was around BGN 3.60 per kilogram without VAT. Now the price is about BGN 3.40. That is, the difference is 20 cents down. Carcasses were sold for about BGN 6.40-6.50. Now it's around BGN 6 again," says Vihren Dimitrov, a member of the Management Board of the Association of Pig Breeders in Bulgaria.
The price from the pig farm to the store has not gone up. With the proviso that this applies only to the commercial establishments of Vihren Dimitrov's pig farm. The situation was similar with the lamb meat.
"We note a slight drop of between 3 and 5 percent in the wholesale purchase price, which is between BGN 8 and BGN 9 without VAT from the farms per kilogram of live weight. Retail prices are between BGN 11 and 13 for single pieces," Diyan Todorov, co-chairman of the National Sheep and Goat Breeding Association, points out.
However, the situation was different at the store stands, customers say.