Agricultural Development of the Municipality of Strumyani

A. SIMOVA

Abstract: Bulgaria has been a member of the EU for three years, yet it encounters enormous problems in absorbing the structural EU funds aimed at the development of the underdeveloped rural areas. The purpose of this article is to analyze the development of the agrarian sector and the opinions of the farmers in one of the less developed rural municipalities ¦ this of Strumyani. The main conclusion from the analysis is that the least developed areas in the country cannot yet feel the effect of the EU membership and their economy is integrated neither in the national, nor in the international market. The effectiveness of the agricultural production is low due to the land fragmentation and the lack of small scale technique. The processing industry is underdeveloped (with the exception of a meat processing plant). The field study of the local rural households proves that the structural EU funds are almost inaccessible to the potential beneficiaries in the municipality and the reasons for that are both objective and subjective.

Keywords: agriculture; farmers; Strumyani municipality

Date published: 2024-09-03