Articles
PRESENT STATE AND PROBLEMS OF VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA
The geographic position of the country at the crossroads of three continents and near the places of origin of a number of vegetable crops attests for the historical importance of vegetable production in this region of Europe.
In the course of two centuries many generations of Bulgarian gardeners developed and distributed seeds of original Bulgarian varieties and introduced original cultural practices in vegetable growing.
They won recognition as masters and pioneers of horticulture in Europe.
Undoubtedly, the Bulgarian gardeners of that time played a progressive role in the development of vegetable growing in Central and South-East Europe.
The profound changes in the economy of Bulgaria after 9 September 1944 led to cooperation of the small private farms into big socialist agricultural enterprises.
Cooperative farms and State farms were set up and they were recently united in 170 agro-industrial complexes.
The establishment of agro-industrial complexes represents a higher stage in the development of agriculture.
This contributes to the concentration of production and emergence of commercial vegetable gardens equipped with modern technique and well trained personnel.
Owing to the favourable soil, climatic and economic conditions in this country, vegetable growing occupies an area of 200 000 ha at present, and it is concentrated in 78 agro-industrial complexes, 73 percent of the vegetable crops being grown in gardens of over 150 ha each.
This concentration of production made it possible to use more fully and rationally the favourable environmental conditions and the experience and skill of the old gardeners.
Especially large is the size of tomato production which takes up 30 percent of the vegetable crop acreage and its amount ranges from 650 000 to 710 000 tons a year.
Bulgaria takes the fifth or sixth place in the world of tomato production and the second place in the world for production per capita.
This is 4 percent of the world production and 38.5 percent of the production of the socialist countries.
Bulgaria ranks first in the world for production of pepper per capita.
These figures are in line with the general upsurge in agriculture.
Vegetable belts were set up in the vicinity of all big canning factories.
Original Bulgarian varieties provide high-quality raw materials for the canning industry and our peeled tomatoes, pickled peppers, vegetable juices, etc. are highly valued.
In this paper I would like to discuss briefly a part of the