site.btaFruit and Vegetable Branch Chamber Chair Petrov: Bulgaria Lacks Consistent Fruit-Growing Policy

Bulgaria lacks a consistent policy for its fruit-growing sector, Fruit and Vegetable Branch Chamber – Sliven Chair Kosta Petrov told BTA at the Golden Peach Festival in Gavrailovo on Sunday. The festival in the Sliven Region village was in its 24th edition.

Asked whether the Ministry of Agriculture and Food had shown any interest in producers' problems following media coverage of the issue, Petrov said it had not.

Spain produces about 1.2 million tonnes of peaches annually and exports close to one million tonnes, Petrov said. He attributed this to a well-developed government framework, cooperatives and well-organized production and sales.

“It must be clear what is being produced and how, and packaging lines are needed to prepare the produce for either the domestic market or export. There will be years with very good harvests of cherries, peaches and plums. If there is no organized system for selling the produce outside Bulgaria, it will remain on the domestic market and prices will fall,” Petrov said.

Petrov warned that orchards might be uprooted if producers were unable to sell their produce for several years.

The Golden Peach Festival was held for the 23rd time in July 2025 and had become one of the most significant events in the major peach-growing region. It was held under the patronage of the agriculture minister and organized by local institutions and producers.

Agriculture and Food Minister Plamen Abrovski met with the Fruit and Vegetable Branch Chamber leadership on June 11, 2026. The talks covered labour shortages, the fair distribution of agricultural funding, a long-term vision for the sector and a permanent-crop register designed to improve transparency and direct public resources to active farms.