Bulgaria: Opportunity to increase exports to China

Bulgaria has been chosen as the seat of the Centre for cooperation in the field of agriculture, as e…

Bulgaria has been chosen as the seat of the Centre for cooperation in the field of agriculture, as explained to journalists by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Desislava Taneva, in Kyustendil.

The Centre is intended to promote cooperation between China and 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the field of agriculture. "All 16 countries will be combining efforts in the proceedings to facilitate trade with China for different food products and agricultural raw materials. We can produce very high quality products, so we need to work towards finding opportunities and markets that pay good prices to increase the income of producers," stated Minister Taneva.

Talking specifically about cherries, she said that the crop is in a significantly better situation than last year. "Usually Bulgaria produces about 37 thousand tons of cherries, of which nearly 7% are exported. Of those, 65% are intended for processing and the remainder for fresh consumption.

The problem is that most of these exports were going to Russia. "Last year, the embargo had no impact on the market, but this year it has," said Minister Taneva. She pointed out that there is room to shift sales and the domestic market also has potential, and that "our efforts must focus on supporting Bulgarian fruits and vegetables."