Many producers in southeast Bulgaria, in Pazardzhik, Sliven and Haskovo, actually complained that they had to replant their seedlings, which will increase their costs.
"At the moment, the red vegetables available in the market are mainly Macedonian, Italian, Turkish, Spanish, Polish and even Albanian. The situation is similar with cucumbers," stated Kostadin Lambev, chairman of the Fruit and Vegetables Union.
He also reported that, unlike open ground crops, Bulgarian greenhouse vegetables currently sold in the domestic market have not been affected and the volumes available are similar to last year's; however, these cover only a minor segment of the market of no more than 20%.
"Heavy rains will adversely affect some crops," says Nikolay Nedialkov, president of the Association of vegetable growers in Burgas. He added that because of the rainfall, the quality of some fruits and vegetables may have been affected.
With strawberries, for instance, wet and rainy weather can be a cause for the development of fungal diseases," said Nikolai Nedialkov. The cherry harvest will also be at risk if there is rain during the harvest.
"Whether the harvest is good or not, market prices are higher because of other factors," said Nedialkov.
Apricots and plums have also been struck by the unusual cold weather and morning frosts this spring. In this sense, the Kyustendil region is the most affected. In Pazardzhik, problems have been recorded with early cherries and plums.
Source - plovdiv24.bg
