Bulgaria is the EU’s biggest pumpkin producer

Bulgaria is the largest producer of pumpkins and squash in the European Union (EU), as shown by Eurostat statistics for 2016. Nearly 12 thousand hectares have been devoted to this crop. In the past year, domestic producers have harvested over 130,000 tonnes. A year earlier, the production of pumpkins reached just 25,500 tonnes.

This dramatic increase in the production largely resulted from a system of subsidies that is no longer in place, as an analysis of the support schemes carried out by the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture in 2016 showed that subsidies for crops such as pumpkins and walnuts were too generous.

The second place in the ranking of largest pumpkin producers in the EU corresponds to Spain, with 97,000 tonnes, followed by France, with 96,000 tonnes. Next in the top 5 are Germany, which produced 87,000 tonnes of pumpkins in 2016, and Portugal, with 75,000 tonnes.

An interesting trend is observed in Romania; while the Bulgarian production has been on the rise in recent years, the country's northern neighbour has been recording a steady decline, from nearly 60,000 tonnes 5 years ago to just over 12,000 tonnes in 2016.

Source: chernomore.bg

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