Kosta Petrov:
Around 80% of Bulgaria's peach exports this year directed to Romania
When did the peach purchasing campaign end in Sliven?
Kosta Petrov: The peach purchase campaign has already come to an end in the region of Sliven. The latest-ripening nectarine varieties have been picked in the orchards. This has been the hardest year for producers in the past 20 years. The campaign was difficult as regards the selling of production. A lot of production was destroyed by bad weather conditions and high rainfall. Many producers who managed to preserve their crops enjoyed really high quality production. Selling was difficult as many of the other countries had better organisation and much better logistics, which exerted great pressure on the Bulgarian market. The embargo introduced by Russia was also a reason behind the difficult selling of production.
Would improved logistics benefit the producers in Sliven?
Kosta Petrov: Yes, definitely, this is part of the activity I see as a weakness in the selling of production. If we had better logistics, we would much more easily be able to sell our production in foreign countries, we have to be united and offer other countries large amounts to succeed in conquering the markets lost years ago.
What part of the production did you manage to sell abroad?
Kosta Petrov: Some 80% of peach exports were this year directed to Romania. As I have already said, the lack of good logistics prevents the producers in Sliven from selling their production on the big markets, where large amounts are demanded. We had the opportunity to export a large quantity to Estonia but the embargo imposed by Russia re-directed production to the rest of countries and the market was full of peaches at a very low price. Some quantity of peaches suitable for canning was sold in Greece. For another year in a row some 500 tonnes of the production left our country in the direction of our southern neighbouring country. Peach production was sold in [settlements] along the Black Sea coast and the big tourist centres.
Apart from traditionally exported peaches, what other types of fruit did you manage to export to foreign countries?
Kosta Petrov: Some 90% of the plums were also sold abroad this year. The plum purchase campaign is nearing its end. We managed to sell big part of the production also in Romania. Over the past weeks its price has risen by about 100%. This is a kind of fruit that also arouses great interest in various countries and we hope we will again succeed in having a good crop and export production next year.
Source: focus-fen.net
