Status, Opportunities and Prospects for Development of Viticulture in Bulgaria

D. PANTALEEVA

Abstract: Viticulture in Bulgaria as a traditional agriculture sector in the country from 60 to 80 years of last century along with the wine had the largest share from the production and export of agriculture and food industry. From 80 years until the end of last century there was a significant reduction in harvested area with vines and a decline in the production of grape. Years of transition from centrally planned to market economy put the sector as well as our whole farming to great difficulties and trials. Over the past two decades in the deep and prolonged crisis and reforms in agriculture, Bulgarian viticulture suffered by heavy losses, which are expressed in significantly reducing the total area of vineyards, a strong deterioration in agriculture and sanitary condition of the plantation, age and deterioration of the structure of varieties. The reasons for the reduction of harvested areas, average yields and production of grapes in the country are worsening of the age structure of varieties of vines, vineyard fragmentation of a large number of owners, low purchase price of grapes, poor and not meeting the requested seed variety, lack of cooperation between growers and winemakers, especially when buying the grape production and the formation of the purchase price of wine grapes, etc. Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the wine and vine sector is realized by a group of rules and mechanisms that regulate the manufacture, marketing and processing of grapes in order to stabilize markets and ensure a fair standard of living for the wine and vine community. The main instruments of the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU on vine can be formulated in two groups:
• Factors that limit the development of viticulture (market intervention, which includes: crisis distillation, support to producers of table and quality wines, support for a specific application, aid for storage of table wines and direct payments per unit area);
• Factors that promote and support development of viticulture (vineyard controlling potential, which includes: a register of potential vineyard, waiver of premium wine, right to replanting and restructuring and conversion of vineyard).
In order to identify problems in the cultivation of vineyards, as well as attitudes and intentions to engage in the future with viticulture in March 2010 were led a series interviews with owners of medium and large vineyards of the South-East wine and vine region. The task of the study was to identify the reasons for the decrease in production of wine grapes, and awareness of the owners of vineyards on CAP measures for the production of grape according requires and permitted practices in the EU. To avoid problems with the purchase prices of grape growing wine businesses need to sign preliminary agreements with grape producers to buy their production. One way to overcome the problems in the cultivation of vines is creating favorable conditions for the consolidation of the vines for easier farming, mechanization, application of plant events, qualification of workers in the sector, innovation and excellence in viticulture. For the future development of the vine industry in Bulgaria a big role has the spending programs of the European Union. The fond “Agriculture” should simplify the procedure for applying at the measures that assist owners of vineyards and to organize information campaigns for introducing vine farmers with opportunities for support at European programs for development of viticulture.

Keywords: Bulgaria; opportunities; prospects; status; viticulture

Date published: 2024-09-05