Vegetable retail markups in Bulgaria rise to 150% as growers struggle to sell produce

Retail markups on tomatoes and cucumbers in Bulgaria have reached 130–150%, according to the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB). A year earlier, markups on the same vegetables were around 60–70%.

The monitoring covers about 600 retail outlets across 80 municipalities and compares retail prices with wholesale quotations. According to CITUB, the current gap between wholesale and retail prices is significantly wider than last year.

Business representatives note that high retail margins are not translating into higher returns for growers. There have been cases in Bulgaria where tomato producers struggled to find buyers while retail prices remained high.

A similar situation is being seen in grapes. In the Svilengrad area, grapes can have little or no market value at grower level, while retail prices in Sofia are around €2/kg.

Meanwhile, the cost of Bulgaria’s small consumer basket has risen by 8.6% y/y, while households spend nearly one-third of their income on food. CITUB and business representatives say the situation warrants closer scrutiny of supply chains and retail price formation.

Tags: Bulgaria, prices, vegetable