Economic Efficiency of Agricultural Cooperatives in Bulgaria

Angel Sarov

Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyze the economic efficiency of agricultural cooperatives in Bulgaria following the application of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) and on this basis to outline the main trends in their development. The analysis is based on official statistics from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Forestry (MAFG) “Agrostatistics”, primary data Agriculture and Accountancy Information System (AAIS) for the period 2007–2016. The trend of change in the
main indicators is investigated: productivity; profitability of production; profitability; income; net entrepreneurial income. The results show that the applied CAP support for the 2007–2013 adaptation increases the economic
efficiency and profitability of production and has a positive effect on the income of agricultural cooperatives. The surveyed economic indicators decreased in 2016, and net income and profitability without subsidies
included were negative.

Keywords: agricultural cooperatives; Bulgaria; CAP; economic efficiency

Date published: 2020-08-27