The snowfall and low temperatures, atypical for this time of year, led to frostbite of fruit trees. A few days ago, fruit growers from Central Bulgaria raised the alarm that there would be no fruit this year. It turns out that the situation is the same in Northern Bulgaria. Has the expected harvest been completely destroyed and will there be Bulgarian apricots, cherries and peaches this year?
Producers reveal that the cold has completely destroyed apricot trees in Northeastern Bulgaria, Nova TV reported.
"This applies mainly to the Ruse and Silistra districts. In Silistra in particular, it is a traditional crop and unfortunately 99 percent of the areas have completely disappeared", shares the deputy chairman of the Branch Chamber “Fruits and Vegetables” Sinan Veysal.
For the second time this year, critically low temperatures have led to frost not only of early fruit varieties, but also of later ones. And the most worrying thing, according to the producers, is that all regions in the country have been affected.
"Both cherries and peaches are gone, as the main region for peach production is Sliven, where the damage is total. In Ruse, the damage to dessert peaches is very large, and with cherries too - over 90 percent of the areas are affected. The situation in Kyustendil is also very bad. I am one hundred percent sure that there will be no apricots, and cherries, even if there are, will be very few", explained Veysal.
The producers' conclusion - this year we will buy imported fruits, and at two to three times higher prices. "If we assume that it was three leva, now I expect prices to exceed 10 leva", he noted.
At the same time, fruit growing is heading for bankruptcy due to the lack of a compensation mechanism. State aid to farmers is currently only for those who have 100 percent failed areas.
"The main problem with the implementation of this fund is that in order for agricultural producers to be able to benefit from it, they must be insured. And in Bulgaria, fruit is insured after April 20, but we are outside this period, we cannot take out insurance, which means that we are absolutely excluded from the guarantee fund," Sinan Veysal emphasized.