site.btaInterest in Organic Production Rises across Country

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food reported an increase in interest in organic production in the country, which transpired during a working meeting between the caretaker Deputy Agriculture Minister Lozana Vasileva and representatives of the organic sector. There are currently 4,961 registered organic producers in Bulgaria compared to 4,863 at the end of 2022.

The three-year trend in increasing areas in the control system continued. As of the end of 2023, the certified land area in the country is 147,798 hectares or approximately 2.94% of the total used area. The growth compared to 2021 is 71% when the area in control system was 86,310 hectares. The crop groups with the largest growth are cereal grains (48%), forage crops (39%) and cereal legumes and protein (17%).

Organic plantings of pears and plums were up 5% and 6% in 2023, while apple plantings were up 15% year-on-year. In 2023, there was a 59% increase in areas planted with organic vegetable compared to 2022. Tomato acreage and production increased by almost 20%. Pepper acreage was up 10% from 2022, while production was up almost 250%. Half of the quantity was produced in heated greenhouses.

At the end of the first half of this year, just over 231,000 organic bee colonies were entered in the electronic register. The number of bee colonies at the end of 2023 was about 20,000 more compared to the end of 2022.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, organic operators in the framework of the 2024 Campaign increased to 3,567 or by 26% compared to the 2023 Campaign. There has been an increased interest in the organic livestock programme, with 339 applications for funding, up from 111 in the 2023 campaign.

Vasileva reported that an organic week will be held in September. The campaign takes place at European level. She added: "We are planning various events that aim to promote organic farming among the general public, to increase consumer confidence in organic products, as well as to extend the reach of the entire food chain."