Since the first COVID-19 infection in Bulgaria on March 8, things have changed in this country. The Bulgarian government announced a state of emergency on March 13 that will last until at least May 13. The hotel and catering industry in particular has been severely affected by this measure. The state of emergency stipulates that restaurants can only deliver orders. The closure of restaurants has significantly increased retail demand for basic products, in particular fruit and vegetables, bread, legumes, meat and dairy. Meanwhile, the Bulgarians have changed their shopping habits: they no longer shop in the supermarket, but online. Due to strong consumer demand, wholesale prices for most commodities have generally remained stable.
Bulgarian fruit and vegetable growers are optimistic that local demand will improve due to expected lower imports from Spain and Italy. Nevertheless, the main foreign fruit and vegetable suppliers are Greece and Turkey. The capacity of these countries to continue to export to Bulgaria is still not clear. The recent congestion at the Turkish border led to a weekly increase in fresh food prices of around 10 to 15%.
Retailers report strong sales of potatoes, onions, carrots, apples and citrus. Sales of potatoes and lemons in particular increased by 300 to 400%. Potatoes are mainly imported from Germany and Austria, apples from Italy and Poland, carrots from Serbia, Greece and Turkey, and tomatoes from Turkey and Greece. Logistical disruptions from one of these countries can lead to price spikes, as Bulgaria imports these products itself.
The COVID-19 outbreak has spiked consumer demand for canned goods and the local industry is hopeful about a possible increase in the processing of fresh products. The outbreak has also led many Bulgarians to return to more conservative buying habits by buying basic goods rather than higher value ones. In this regard, there have been retail cancellations for the purchase of strawberries and cherries in May and June, suppliers report.
Safety concerns following severe COVID-19 outbreaks in some Western European countries, job losses and job restrictions in some Western European Union (EU) Member States have led many Bulgarian workers, around 150,000, to return from Western Europe in March. Many are repatriated farm workers from rural areas and may be looking for similar jobs in Bulgaria. Growers are therefore hopeful about more seasonal workers during the various campaigns in June and July.
Source: USDA