The price of Smilyan beans has increased to BGN 18 per kilogram, up from BGN 12 last year, according to Bancho Kichukov, the producer and chairman of the Smilyan Bean Growers Association. The production of Smilyan beans is largely manual, and Kichukov notes that the cost of producing the beans is between BGN 800 and 1,000 per decare, reflecting the increased costs in agriculture. To promote the product, 300 portions of Smilyan beans were distributed for free at a recent farmers' market in Nadezhda.