Tomato prices in Bulgaria are increasing tenfold from field to fork, and that in the time of greatest abundance of this vegetable.
According to Georgi Kaftanov, president of the Association of Producers of Fruit and Vegetables "Southwest", tomato producers are being paid around 0.30 Lev (0.15 Euro) per kilo during the peak of the production, but in stores the best quality tomatoes are being sold for up to 3 Lev (1.53 Euro). The average retail price stands at about 2 Lev (1.02 Euro).
If this continues, Mr Kaftanov believes many Bulgarian producers will give up. "Just when we produce the most tomatoes, we also see the largest imports, and this takes a toll on prices. We are not against goods being imported from abroad, but against smuggling and importation of low quality fruits and vegetables," he said.
He believes that controls on the Bulgarian borders are very weak, and this allows many products to enter, ranging from Chinese garlic to Egyptian dill. "Neighbouring countries don't even need to declare their goods at the border. At the same time, it is impossible for our growers to go and sell their products at the exchange market in Thessaloniki, as there will be requests for documents and the tomatoes will be rotten by the time they arrive," he explains.
Mariana Miltenova, spokesperson for the National Union of Producers in Bulgaria, believes that the non-application of tariff barriers with which to protect local producers from the hugely subsidised products from neighbouring countries may well doom them to extinction.
"In recent years, the number of people devoted to the production of fruit and vegetables has been steadily falling. For the last 5-6 years, the country's production of carrots, cucumbers, melons and watermelons has actually dropped by 10 to 15 times," explained Miltenova.
