Evaluation of the development of fruit growing in Bulgaria (II part)

Vanya Manolova

Abstract: Fruit growing is a traditional branch of Bulgarian agriculture. It is essential for the country’s economy and the development of agricultural regions. The study tries to explain what is happening to the fruit sector today in the context of its historical development. The purpose of this article is to determine and evaluate the stages in which fruit growing was developed over the years. In order to achieve this, the study: analyzes and evaluates the development of fruit growing in Bulgaria; estimates the stages it goes through; evaluates the production potential of the fruit branch; analyzes and evaluates fruit export and fruit import. Тhe study considers a long period of time, which requires it to be divided into two parts. This second part of the article discusses the modern period in the development of fruit growing from the 90s until present days. The second part of the study determined two sub-stages of this period: transition sub-stage and sub-stage of equal membership of Bulgaria to EU from 2007 up to now. The analysis found a sharp decline in the production potential of fruit growing in the recent days. The average production level is 2 times lower for the (1900 – 2018) than the period (1925 – 1944). This is also reflected in the drastic decline in fruit exports. The article concludes that Bulgarian fruit growing enters the EU unprepared. There was no long term strategy for development of the branch. Innovative technological approaches in Bulgarian fruit growing are not widespread, mainly due to the more difficult access to support for fruit growers. Although the right direction was taken, serious mistakes were made, which did not allow Bulgaria to gain from its comparative advantages and to build a highly competitive and efficient fruit growing. Knowledge of business history is a prerequisite for avoiding mistakes in the future development of fruit growing in Bulgaria.

Keywords: average yields; development stages; foreign trade; fruit areas; production potential

Date published: 2021-09-13