Head of International Organisation of Vine and Wine is on a visit to Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on February 19 met with the Director General of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine Pau Roca. The two discussed opportunities for co-operation that will contribute to even more active promotion of Bulgaria's wine-growing traditions as part of the country’s cultural and historical heritage.

In the course of the talks, the upward development of the wine-growing and viticulture in Bulgaria was noted, confirmed by data that 61% of all vineyards in Bulgaria are listed in the European Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications.

This is extremely important because it gives Bulgarian producers the opportunity to promote their region and to guarantee the local quality. The vineyards in Bulgaria are just over 60,000 dectares and some of them were developed under the measure "Restructuring and conversion of vineyards". Last year, nearly 8,500 decares of new vineyards were created.

The meeting also highlighted the upward trend in the export of Bulgarian wines. In 2019, Bulgaria exported 64 million litres of wine to the markets of Western Europe, China, USA. The number of wine producers is also increasing.

In the presence of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Dessislava Taneva and Director General of the International Organization for Vine and Wine Pau Roca signed a memorandum of understanding. Its purpose is to strengthen the cooperation between the two parties in the area of viticulture, wine-making, technology, marketing and other areas of mutual interest, to promote the Bulgarian wine-growing traditions. It also provides for the exchange of new technologies and training for professionals in the sector.