site.btaBulgarian Producers Celebrate Organic Agriculture Day in Sofia

Forty producers from across the country are presenting their products in celebration of Organic Agriculture Day, which is taking place in Sofia's South Park, Albena Simeonova, chairwoman of the Bulgarian Organic Products Association (BOPA), told journalists on Saturday. The event is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and BOPA as part of the European Commission (EC) initiative to celebrate organic production in EU member states. 

It is the first time BOPA and the Ministry have organized such an event, Albena Simeonova said. In general, for more than 10 years we have been organizing a week devoted to organic agriculture following the example of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, of which BOPA is a member, she noted.

By the end of 2023, the areas certified for organic production in the country will be about 1.5 million decares, which is approximately 3% of the total agricultural area, Stoilko Apostolov, manager of the Bioselena Foundation and advisor to the Minister of Agriculture on organic agriculture, told BTA. An increase of 35% in these areas was reported in 2023 against 2022. The biggest increase has been in the number of livestock reared organically, with cattle around threefold and sheep seeing a twofold increase. One of the main reasons for these positive trends is that livestock support payments are now made year-on-year, the expert said.

Apostolov recalled that Bulgaria's first interim target is to have 5% of certified areas by 2025, but pointed out that he believes this will be a difficult task. He noted, however, that achieving it is one of the indicators that Bulgaria must meet in order to receive funding under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. By 2030, the certified organic area in the country should reach 10% of the total agricultural area. The expert said that Bulgaria currently ranks second to last in the EU on this indicator, with Malta behind us and Austria already approaching 27%. The reasons for these results are related to the demand for organic products in the country and the need to adequately support farmers, the expert said.

Currently, there are 5,027 certified operators, and this group includes not only farms and producers, but also processors, traders, all subject to certification, Apostolov further said.

On the celebration day, children prepared healthy vegetable soup and jams with the famous Bulgarian TV chef Uti Bachvarov. Parents could buy organic milk and meat products, seasonal fruit and vegetables, organic juices, wine, nuts, halves and tahini, organic honey and bee products, organic chocolate and organic cosmetics.