site.btaTotal Peach Harvest in Bulgaria Expected 25-30% Less This Year -Expert

Total Peach Harvest in Bulgaria Expected 25-30% Less This Year - Expert

Sliven, Southern Bulgaria, July 7 (BTA) - The total peach harvest in Bulgaria is expected to be by 25-30 per cent less than last year's, the Chairman of the Bulgarian Peach Association in Sliven, Kosta Petrov, said in an interview for BTA.

Nearly 70 per cent of the peach orchards of Southeast Bulgaria are in the region of Sliven, featuring 70 per cent desert fruit and 30 per cent for preserves.

Farmers are expecting the fruit to be larger but of lower quality due to the unfavourable weather conditions. The trees bloomed earlier as a result of the warm winter but suffered from subsequent frosts, as well as hail.

This year exports will be problematic because of the bad quality. Bulgarian peaches are traditionally exported to Romania and attempts will be made to export some to St. Petersburg. Fruit for direct consumption are expected to be bought out at 0.40-0.80 leva/kg.

What is most necessary to make Bulgarian farmers competitive are new varieties, with a better outlook, easier for machine processing and high sugar content. This should be supported by drip irrigation, the so-called dense planting with mechanized pruning and picking, to reduce manual labour to a maximum, the expert said./VI/BR
/ДЛ/