From producer to the retail shelf: Fruit and vegetable prices double before reaching consumers

A check carried out by a BNT team shows that fruit and vegetables are reaching retail outlets at prices up to twice as high.

The investigation, conducted in the region of Petrich, found that price increases occur along the supply chain — from producers to wholesale markets — with the most significant mark-up observed in retail stores.

The government is expected to address this issue through a package of measures that has already been presented.

Producers say the proposed measures are necessary, and they are relying on them to demonstrate to Bulgarian consumers that domestically produced food is not as expensive as it is often perceived.

A check by the BNT team shows that courgettes (zucchini) cost between €0.80 and €1 per kilogramme at producer level, while in retail chains in the Blagoevgrad district they are currently sold at up to around €2 per kilogramme.

A similarly significant difference is observed in the price of Bulgarian tomatoes.

At the wholesale market in Petrich, near Karlanovo, tomatoes are sold for around €2 per kilogramme. In retail stores, prices range between €4 and €6.

For this reason, traders are calling for the proposed measures to be implemented as soon as possible, in order to encourage consumers to choose more Bulgarian-produced goods.

“These are murky times — right now nobody can really say what the price is.”

“We want that when it is announced on all wholesale markets, it is actually followed. If they even put up boards at the markets showing the prices of every single product, that would be even better.”

The price increase, producers say, depends on how many intermediaries the goods pass through. If produce travels from local farms to Sofia, it may go through one trader, then another, and then a third before reaching retail chains or market stalls — meaning at least three intermediaries, each adding a margin of around 10–20 euro cents. However, they note that in reality nobody operates on margins as low as 10–20 cents.

Producers are also calling for attention to imports from abroad, arguing that in the Petrich region in particular, Greek fruit and vegetables are significantly undercutting the price of Bulgarian produce.