An autumn farmers' and crafts fair took place on Osvobozhdenie Square in Yambol, in front of the Bezisten, with 25 tents for producers from the region and neighbouring areas. It was the 65th edition of the farmers' market, which has run in the town twice a month for four years.
The Yambol – Taste and Traditions Foundation organised it with the town council and the Yambol Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The tents offered seasonal fruit and vegetables, honey and bee products, wine, cured meats, farm cheeses and dairy products, souvenirs and handmade crafts.
"The producers here are registered, and shoppers can taste many of the products," Antoaneta Sabeva, chair of the Yambol – Taste and Traditions Foundation, told BTA. She said the market aims to support producers and give buyers access to quality Bulgarian food and goods.
Sabeva said the interest in the fair shows that people still prefer quality produce and that the link between producer and consumer matters a lot. The foundation also tries to attract producers from other regions, to support all Bulgarian producers.
Beekeepers, fruit growers and vegetable farmers are unhappy with wholesale purchase prices. They say such fairs will be needed more and more often, because prices for quality produce grown with hard work are insultingly low. The fairs help them sell their produce despite the difficulties in various sectors.
Beekeeper Zdravko Avramov, who has a farm in the village of Robovo in Tundzha municipality, said this year has been very good for honey, but selling it is a problem. The buying price starts at between €2.70 and €2.80 a kilogram, then falls to €2.50, he said. "These prices are outrageously low, the middlemen are simply twisting our arms," he added.
Diana Sivkova and her husband Plamen Sivkov run a honey farm at the foot of the Manastirski Heights in Yambol region. She said the buying price of honey has not changed in seven or eight years, while costs keep rising for fuel to drive to the apiary, feed for the bees and medicines. Since the euro was introduced, people mostly buy basic necessities and eat less honey, Sivkova added.
Emilia Valeva from the village of Balgarin in Harmanli municipality and her husband Anton Kozeliev have had a pear orchard since 2008, and for eight years they have grown organic produce on 90 decares. Valeva said organic farming faces difficulties because the price of organic crop treatments has risen a lot. What keeps them in the business is their wish and love for the land, she said.