Bulgaria Remains Leading Lavender Producer but Overproduction Poses Threat - Expert
NW 17:18:32 05-09-2021
DS1719NW.105
105 ECONOMY - LAVENDER PRODUCTION - EXPERT - INTERVIEW
Bulgaria Remains Leading Lavender Producer
but Overproduction
Poses Threat - Expert
Sofia, September 5 (BTA) - According to official information of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, there are currently 21,000 ha under lavender in Bulgaria, Gergana Andreeva, CEO of the Bulgarian National Association of Essential Oils, Perfumery and Cosmetics, said in an interview for BTA. Bulgaria continues to be the leading lavender producer in the world, even outstripping France, she added.
Bulgaria's lavender production is export-oriented. Over 50 per cent of the entire produce goes to the United States and France. It also has other markets in Western Europe, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, India, South Korea and Canada. Official statistics quote 133 tonnes of exported lavender oil in 2018 and 210 tonnes exported by December 2020, Andreeva said.
Traditionally, Bulgaria used to produce about 100 to 120 tonnes of lavender oil, while in recent years production has reached 500 to 600 tonnes a year. This overproduction resulting from the rapid increase of areas under lavender is a problem considering the capacity of the foreign market. Value drops in wake of larger quantities, which is a problem in terms of investment and profit, Andreeva thinks.
Another problem lurks in lower buyout prices because of greater offering, as well as in the processing capacity. Not the least, the sector has to deal with the problem of uncertified planting stock, Andreeva added.
Asked about what measures could be taken to solve these issues, Andreeva said that an export strategy should be elaborated to introduce order in lavender production and seek opportunities to broaden the export. The strategy should be set up by a working group comprising experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, researchers from the Executive Agency for Variety Testing, Approbation and Seed Control, the regional agriculture departments, and all interested parties./DS/BR
/ДЛ/
DS1719NW.105
105 ECONOMY - LAVENDER PRODUCTION - EXPERT - INTERVIEW
Bulgaria Remains Leading Lavender Producer
but Overproduction
Poses Threat - Expert
Sofia, September 5 (BTA) - According to official information of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, there are currently 21,000 ha under lavender in Bulgaria, Gergana Andreeva, CEO of the Bulgarian National Association of Essential Oils, Perfumery and Cosmetics, said in an interview for BTA. Bulgaria continues to be the leading lavender producer in the world, even outstripping France, she added.
Bulgaria's lavender production is export-oriented. Over 50 per cent of the entire produce goes to the United States and France. It also has other markets in Western Europe, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, India, South Korea and Canada. Official statistics quote 133 tonnes of exported lavender oil in 2018 and 210 tonnes exported by December 2020, Andreeva said.
Traditionally, Bulgaria used to produce about 100 to 120 tonnes of lavender oil, while in recent years production has reached 500 to 600 tonnes a year. This overproduction resulting from the rapid increase of areas under lavender is a problem considering the capacity of the foreign market. Value drops in wake of larger quantities, which is a problem in terms of investment and profit, Andreeva thinks.
Another problem lurks in lower buyout prices because of greater offering, as well as in the processing capacity. Not the least, the sector has to deal with the problem of uncertified planting stock, Andreeva added.
Asked about what measures could be taken to solve these issues, Andreeva said that an export strategy should be elaborated to introduce order in lavender production and seek opportunities to broaden the export. The strategy should be set up by a working group comprising experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, researchers from the Executive Agency for Variety Testing, Approbation and Seed Control, the regional agriculture departments, and all interested parties./DS/BR
/ДЛ/
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