Vegetables and Prices – What Challenges Are Producers Facing?

Vegetable producers in southwestern Bulgaria are reporting difficulties in selling their products on local markets.

Heating greenhouses for production is becoming increasingly expensive, which directly impacts the prices of locally grown vegetables.

“We produce cucumbers. The quantities we sell are normal for this stage of plant development. The wholesale price is between 3 and 4 levs, while on the markets it can reach around 5 levs,” said Ivaylo Peshev, manager of a greenhouse complex in Kresna, on the show The Day Begins.

He noted that the main challenges for producers are the rising costs of energy and mineral fertilizers.

“Natural gas is more expensive compared to last year. Compared to 2020–2022, it is almost twice as costly.”

The situation is similar for fertilizers, which have remained at high levels since 2022. Peshev also explained that cucumbers are currently scarce on the market because colder weather makes cultivation difficult, as in Bulgaria cucumbers are grown in unheated greenhouses.

Regarding Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone, Peshev does not expect major changes in production processes. “If prices rise, it will likely be due to higher inflation driven by consumption,” he concluded.