June 10, 2010

Bulgaria may begin large grain exports to Israel

Bulgaria may start to export large quantities of grain to Israel as the Jewish state produces only 10% of the required consumption levels.

The reason for the limited production is too dry a climate and lack of rainfall during the year. Furthermore, the soil is sandy in Israel and clay and cultivated land is only 4.5 million hectares, which is less than the area under crops in Bulgaria.

To meet the needs of Israel, imported grain come mainly from USA, Russia, Ukraine and other producer countries. According to recent data, Bulgaria exports over one million tonnes of wheat annually mainly to EU countries. Organisations and companies from Israel have expressed great interest for the import of Bulgarian grain.

This was one of the most commented opportunities for cooperation between Bulgaria and Israel, which was discussed at a meeting between president of the Association of Agricultural Producers in Bulgaria (AZPB) Christo Tsvetanov and Ivaylo Todorov Chief Secretary with representatives of related NGOs in Israel during an official visit to Tel Aviv.

Another area of potential collaboration is organic farming, one of the fastest growing industries in Israel. Annual production of ecologically pure agricultural production increased by 25%, yet it occupies only 1.5% of the entire sector, according to the agriculture ministry of Israel.