The largest international exhibition for organic products, Biofach, was recently held in Nuremberg, Germany, and Bulgaria attended it for the first time. Albena Simeonova, chairman of the Bulgarian Association for Organic Products, was interviewed by the Bulgarian National Radio, where she talked about the country's participation.
"Our association, which brings together all organic farmers, including growers, breeders, beekeepers, processors, traders, consultants and other people involved in organic production, had its own stand, with a total of 41 companies represented. We showcased fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, herbs, organic honey, wine and nuts, as well as processed grain products, such as various types of flour, tahini, etc."
At the moment, the largest importers of Bulgarian organic products are Germany, Austria, Denmark and Sweden, with frozen berries as one of the best-selling products. The global demand for organic food is growing by about 10 percent per year, and by 2020, the market will exceed $ 60 billion.
"When the Bulgarian Association for Organic Products was founded six years ago, only 25 farmers were members. Now there are more than 4,000 in the country. Not only demand has increased, but the quality of Bulgarian organic products has also improved."
She explains that "we managed to get support from the European Union thanks to a promotional program. Europe is paying much more attention to the way we supply and promote agricultural products."
In any case, Bulgaria does not have the greatest access to funds. "We have received support from the Ministry of Agriculture, but the most successful strategy for us lies in unification. The more farmers come together to participate in the events organised by the Association, the stronger will be our country's position to face international competition in the organic market.
