Nobody wants to buy the Bulgarian plums, there is no price

Published 2024년 9월 30일

Tridge summary

The Bulgarian fruit market is experiencing significant disruption due to duty-free imports from Ukraine and Moldova, a situation that has led to increased competition and pressure on local producers, particularly those cultivating plums and cherries. The dominance of two Italian companies in the cherry market and the import of apples from Poland and Moldova are exacerbating the problem. Bulgarian producers feel that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is being exploited for commercial gains, leading to a threat to the country's food sovereignty and traditionally, the fruit sector. The lack of legislation regarding branch organizations and the agrarian chamber in Bulgaria, along with a disconnected role of ministries, further complicates the issue. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency's limited testing for residual pesticides in imported produce adds to the concerns, highlighting the urgent need for reforms and protections for local producers.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

At the moment, we have a totally distorted fruit market due to duty-free imports from Ukraine and Moldova, and I must say quite responsibly that a traditional group of fruits, such as plums, will be lost for Bulgarian producers. This was stated for Agri.BG Tsvetan Tsekov from the "Fruits and Vegetables" Branch Chamber. "We raised the alarm about this some time ago. This year there is not even a price, no one wants to buy plums. A similar thing happens with cherries, where the market is monopolized by two Italian companies. Due to the lack of unions, manufacturers cannot fight this monopoly. Now individual producers are being pressured," the branch representative added. Apart from the two most widespread crops, which are grown on over 100,000 decares, apples and other seed species are extremely seriously threatened, as all the trade routes are confused. Poland is the largest European producer of apples, Moldova also has a serious production. "In the end, we suffer as a small ...

Source: Agri