50 years ago, under the conditions of the socialist market economy, particular attention in Bulgaria was given to raspberry cultivation, as the fruit also provided the much-needed income in convertible currency.
After the political changes of 1989, the state cooperatives were dissolved and this led to fluctuations throughout agriculture, while today raspberry cultivation is slowly regaining importance.
According to statistical data from the Ministry of Agriculture in Sofia, a total of 5,100 tonnes of raspberries were harvested last year, of which 2,300 tonnes were exported fresh or frozen.
New cultivation areas
A large part of the new raspberry fields established in the last decade are located in lowland areas, where larger fields can be cultivated, farming is easier, and labour-intensive manual work can often be replaced by appropriate mechanisation.
This has led to the gradual abandonment of traditional cultivation areas in the mountains – such as Samokov, Botevgrad, Lovech, Teteven and Troyan – in favour of new fields in flat regions like Popovo and Loznitsa.
Return to the mountains
Due to extreme weather conditions, however, raspberry cultivation is now slowly returning to the mountain areas. Summers there are cooler and temperatures lower.
Sun damage, which is increasingly common in lowland plantations, is very rare in mountain and foothill areas. Another advantage of moving raspberry production to higher altitudes are the organic farming opportunities.
The large amount of manual labour required in the mountains increases the value of the fruit. Export conditions, especially for organic raspberries, are considered very favourable.
Legislative support
An additional incentive for farmers is provided by a legislative amendment in Bulgaria, according to which in state contracts for food supply to schools, hospitals and public institutions, a 2% organic content is required, which must increase by one percentage point every year.
Source text and image: fruitnet.com
