Browse Data and Analysis

Bulgaria is a small but growing market for U.S. food and agricultural products. In 2022, total Bulgarian food and agricultural imports were valued at $8.48 billion, up 38 percent from 2021, of which 1.1 percent, or $92.2 million, were sourced from the United States.

The Dominican Republic (DR) is ranked among the top three destination markets in the Western Hemisphere and within the top 15 markets globally for U.S. consumer-oriented products. In 2022, U.S. exports of consumer-oriented products to DR topped $1 billion, 19 percent higher year-on-year primarily due to strong demand from foreign tourism and the retail sector.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s bulk, intermediate, and consumer oriented (BICO) export data tracks U.S. food and agriculture trade shipped directly to Bulgaria. However, it does not measure the substantial levels of the U.S. agricultural trade to Bulgaria routed through Western European ports of entry.

Bulgaria’s grocery retail sector has remained stable and vital despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the galloping inflation, and the war in Ukraine. Grocery retail sales rose year-on-year by 2.8 percent in 2021 and 4.8 percent in 2022 as compared to the previous years.

As a European Union (EU) Member State, Bulgaria applies EU regulatory requirements for all animal- and plant-origin food and agricultural imports.

Bulgaria acceded to the European Union (EU) in 2007 and follows EU directives and regulations pertaining to food safety, quality and standards.

FAS/Sofia’s marketing year (MY) 2023/24 sunflower production estimate is lowered to 1.7 million metric tons (MMT) based on the final harvest data. The sunflower crop suffered from severe and prolonged summer drought and high heat which reduced yields considerably.

The Dominican Republic continues to be a strong market for U.S. bulk agricultural products (e.g., corn), intermediate goods (e.g., soybean meal), and high value consumer-oriented products (e.g., processed food products), reaching a total export value...

FAS/Sofia’s marketing year (MY) 2023/24 corn production estimate is lowered to 2.5 million metric tons (MMT) based on the harvest progress to date. The corn crop suffered from severe and prolonged summer drought and high heat which reduced yields considerably.

The Government of Bulgaria (GOB) continues to oppose agricultural biotechnology. Non-governmental anti-biotech organizations, local activists, and Bulgaria’s organics industry actively spread nonscientific disinformation about biotechnology.

The Dominican Republic, through its Ministry of Industry, Commerce and SME’s (MICM), announced the activation of the CAFTA-DR agricultural safeguard measure for imports of chicken leg quarters (CLQ’s) from the United States on October 30, 2023.

The closure of the Haiti-Dominican Republic border on September 14 due to a binational dispute over the construction of a canal on the Haitian side of the Dajabon River has exacerbated the food security situation in Haiti and caused mounting losses for Dominican farmers.