According to producers in the province of Ruse, Bulgaria, this year they will have low yields and poor quality fruits and vegetables due to this year's dry spring and rainy summer. The Union of Danube Fruit Growers reports that the yields will be between 60 and 80% lower than last year.
For 21 years, Pavel Spasov has been involved in the cultivation of apricots, peaches, cherries and plums on a total of about 900 hectares. He says that yields this year are one of the lowest on record.
"The apricot harvest this year is not just bad, it is catastrophic. I will be harvesting only between 15 and 20% of the fruit, while in municipalities like Slivo pole, Tutrakan and Silistra, the percentage falls to 0%.
The producer is also in a hurry to harvest the peaches, as because of the rain, the fruit has started to rot. Romania is able to export good volumes of quality fruit, but there is no market for the lower quality. There are also difficulties to supply that fruit to juicing plants, so the peaches end up having to be thrown out.
Also worth noting is that despite the lower yields, prices in Bulgaria have not increased, which is due to imports. Producers hope the government will grant higher subsidies for next year.
Source: 24chasa.bg
