Nearly 20 tonnes of Macedonian apples returned by Bulgaria over pesticides

A shipment of nearly 20 tonnes of North Macedonian apples was turned back at the Bulgarian border after laboratory tests by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency found pesticide residues above the legal limits.

Growers said they were outraged by the decision, noting the timing came at the worst possible moment: purchase prices for apples are catastrophically low and producers are barely covering the costs of production, electricity, fertilisers and plant-protection products.

Fruit producers also insist they apply pesticides in the same way as other growers in the region and in Europe, and complain that there has been recent negative publicity about their produce. They are calling for more selective reporting and for stricter controls on the domestic market before goods are shipped for export, to prevent damaging blows to the local economy and to exporters who have spent years defending their positions in the region.

Prices and costs make harvest unprofitable

Farmers point to the low purchase prices: industrial apples are bought at 4 denars per kilogram, while table (consumable) apples are purchased at about 15 denars per kilogram. Daily wages for seasonal workers and pickers have risen to 3,000 denars. To pay a single daily wage for one worker, an orchard owner must sell as much as 750 kilograms of industrial apples, which makes the harvest mathematically unprofitable.

At the same time, although overall production in Europe has fallen, European cold-storage facilities in September were holding stocks from the previous year that were over 50% higher than before, further depressing demand on regional markets.

Growers say the return of the nearly 20-tonne shipment highlights the need for earlier domestic checks and for measures that would protect small exporters and agricultural incomes during an already difficult marketing season.

Photo: press material from the event