Browse Data and Analysis

FAS/Sofia expects growth in Bulgarian poultry production in 2024, driven by declining feed/production costs and improving competitiveness, as well as by continued growth in consumer incomes, travel, and tourism.

In 2023, Bulgarian imports from the United States surpassed the $100 million mark for the first time. The growth was due to a substantial increase in Bulgarian imports of U.S. beef, tree and ground nuts, food preparation, whiskies, animal feed, and wood.

In 2023, U.S. agricultural exports to Bulgaria surpassed the $100 million mark for the first time. The growth was due to a substantial increase in U.S. exports of beef, tree and ground nuts, food preparations, whiskies, animal feed, and wood.

In 2023 Bulgarian dairy farming stabilized with a growth in milk deliveries. This was due to improved milk yields despite continued decline in the dairy cow herd, and due to record high fluid milk imports.

Bulgaria’s fish and seafood imports have grown steadily over the past decade and have nearly doubled. Bulgarian fish and seafood importers are seeking to expand the variety of fish available to consumers, particularly among the mid and high-value categories.

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 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.

Dashboard that demonstrates the scope of Black Sea grain and oilseed trade. Millions of tons of grain are shipped through these international waters each year, making the Black Sea region a major supplier of agricultural commodities worldwide.

Bulgaria’s hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) foodservice industry grew year-on-year by early 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic severely hit the industry and food service sales dropped significantly in 2020 and in early 2021. In 2021, despite some remaining anti-COVID measures, after a strong summer tourist season, the HRI sector started to rebound and registered up to 25 percent growth in certain categories over 2020.