Minister of Agriculture Opened the Grape Harvest Campaign in Sandanski

Agriculture and Food Minister Plamen Abrovski has officially opened the grape harvest in the vineyards near the village of Harsovo, close to Sandanski. It is one of the most important periods for local grape growers and wine producers in the Struma Valley.

They describe this year as very productive. According to them, the weather conditions have been favourable for the growth and ripening of the vines. Temperatures have also been lower than usual for the area, while heavy rainfall came at the right time and provided the vineyards with the moisture they needed.

The opening of the grape harvest is also an opportunity to highlight the importance of wine production to the local economy and the development of agriculture in the region. One of the challenges facing producers is the import of wine grapes from other countries, which is only now beginning.

Minister Abrovski stressed that the ministry had taken measures in this area.

“What we have undertaken with the Customs Agency regarding imports from third countries and with the National Revenue Agency regarding intra-EU deliveries – not only of grapes, but of all seasonal fruit and vegetables entering the country – is to carry out full checks on what comes in, looking at the documentation, verification and prices, so that we can reassure farmers that there is no possibility of losses to the public purse, either in the country of origin or in Bulgaria. We are also carrying out 100% sanitary controls and laboratory tests to ensure that what enters Bulgaria – and, let us agree, we live in an open European Union and cannot close our borders – meets the necessary standards. What we can do is ensure that the price at which products enter the country is appropriate and that their quality meets all the expectations of the Bulgarian market.”

The ministry has information about suspected irregularities concerning prices and quality, but talks are under way with the authorities in the countries of origin – something that has not been done before, Abrovski stressed.

At present, most of the imported grapes come from Greece.