Tobacco Growers in Bulgaria Dwindling Amid Inadequate Subsidies and Difficult Conditions

Tobacco growers in Bulgaria are now a dying breed. This is evident from data provided by industry organizations. The reasons, of course, are logical—low pay and work concentrated in small towns that are losing their populations. In some parts of southwestern Bulgaria, however, there are still people for whom tobacco is their primary source of income.

An average of 15 metric tons of tobacco. That is the amount Desislava used to deliver to buyers annually in 2010. Since then, pay has decreased, and so have the quantities she produces.

Tobacco growers in Bulgaria are becoming an increasingly rare sight, according to figures from industry organisations. The reasons are clear: low pay and work concentrated in small settlements that are gradually losing their populations. However, in some parts of south-western Bulgaria, tobacco remains the main source of livelihood for a number of people.

Desislava used to deliver an average of 15 tonnes of tobacco to buyers every year in 2010. Since then, both the prices paid to growers and the quantities she produces have fallen.

Desislava Kanchova, tobacco grower:

“I grow tobacco on five decares of land and produce around one tonne, but it doesn't pay. It's not worth it. We used to grow 10–12 decares because the children were helping us. Now I grow less and I'm left on my own, but tobacco is no longer profitable and I'm making a loss.”

The mountain villages of Gorno Osenovo and Dolno Osenovo are among the few remaining places in the country where tobacco is still grown, albeit in small quantities. However, production in this area has also fallen sharply over the past five years. The area under cultivation has decreased by 80%.

Aleksi Kranchov, mayor of Dolno Osenovo:

“The whole village used to produce 350–400 tonnes of tobacco. Now it's no more than 30–40 tonnes. The money paid to tobacco growers is far too little, so people are reluctant to plant tobacco. It's a lot of work for very little money.”

Tobacco production in Bulgaria has fallen by more than 90% over the past decade, according to figures from the country's tobacco growers' associations.

Arben Mimenov, Association of Oriental Tobacco Producers in Bulgaria:

“We remember very well that, in previous years, the Satovcha municipality alone produced around 1,500–1,700 tonnes of tobacco. At present, the entire country produces around 2,500 tonnes. This clearly shows just how dramatic the change has been.”

Nevertheless, there are hopes that the downward trend can be reversed and that tobacco production in Bulgaria, which once provided a livelihood for thousands of families, will see a modest recovery.

Arben Mimenov, Association of Oriental Tobacco Producers in Bulgaria:

“There are people who can no longer find a livelihood abroad and are returning here, asking about tobacco growing and prices. I know at least two families who have increased the area they cultivate with tobacco, hiring workers to grow, process and sell their crop.”

The lack of water for irrigating agricultural land is creating increasingly serious difficulties for farmers. Fields located far from rivers and streams, or without access to irrigation channels operated by the state-owned Irrigation Systems company, have been neglected and left fallow for years.

If the state and local authorities can find a solution to this problem, there are hopes that tobacco production in Bulgaria will gradually begin to recover.

The lack of water for irrigating farmland is creating ever-greater difficulties in agriculture. Areas that are far from rivers or streams, or that lack irrigation canals, have been neglected for years and lie fallow. If the government, together with the municipalities, finds a solution to this problem, tobacco production in Bulgaria is expected to begin to recover, albeit slowly.