Fruit and Vegetable Prices Drop Across Bulgaria in Late May

At the end of May, the prices of most fruits and vegetables in Bulgaria saw a decline, according to the State Commission for Commodity Exchanges and Markets (SCCEM) in its weekly bulletin. The market price index (MPI), reflecting the movement of wholesale food prices, dropped by 1.21 percent to 2,114 points, down from 2,140 points the previous week. The MPI's base level of 1,000 points dates back to 2005.

Cucumbers saw a significant decrease in price, with imported varieties dropping by 8.8 percent to BGN 1.98 per kilogram, and greenhouse cucumbers by 10.9 percent to BGN 2.53 per kilogram. Greenhouse tomatoes also became cheaper, falling by 9 percent to BGN 2.74 per kilogram. Additionally, the price of potatoes decreased by 2.7 percent to BGN 1.43 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, carrots increased in price by 7.6 percent to BGN 1.42 per kilogram, but ripe imported onions saw a substantial drop of 13.9 percent to BGN 1.49 per kilogram. Cabbage continued its price decline, falling by 7.7 percent to BGN 0.84 per kilogram.

Among fruits, imported apples fell by 2.9 percent to BGN 1.70 per kilogram, while lemons increased in price by 3.3 percent to BGN 2.47 per kilogram. Bananas slightly decreased by 0.4 percent to BGN 2.71 per kilogram, whereas imported strawberries rose by 0.7 percent to BGN 4.15 per kilogram. Oranges saw a minor price increase of 0.6 percent to BGN 1.82 per kilogram.

Dairy products showed mixed trends. Cow's cheese increased by 0.4 percent to BGN 10.96 per kilogram, and "Vitosha" cheese went up by 1.2 percent to BGN 17.36 per kilogram. Yogurt with over 3 percent fat content decreased by 0.9 percent to BGN 1.16 for a 400-gram bucket, while fresh milk with 3 percent fat content became cheaper by 2.6 percent to BGN 2.26 per liter.

Chicken meat rose in price by 3.0 percent to BGN 6.83 per kilogram, but eggs (size M) fell by 6.5 percent to BGN 0.29 per piece wholesale. The price of rice slightly increased by 0.3 percent to BGN 3.25 per kilogram, and lentils jumped by 2.2 percent to BGN 4.27 per kilogram. Ripe beans decreased by 2.6 percent to BGN 4.05 per kilogram.

Other staples also experienced price changes. Sugar fell by 1.5 percent to BGN 1.94 per kilogram, while oil remained at BGN 2.74 per liter. The price of type 500 flour increased by 0.8 percent to BGN 1.31 per kilogram, and cow butter (125 gram package) saw a slight decrease of 0.4 percent to BGN 2.60 per piece.