Pork price in Bulgaria has gone up 33% since ASF outbreak
The price of pork in Bulgaria has gone up about 33 per cent since the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the country began in August 2019.
Vladimir Ivanov, head of the Commodity Exchange and Markets Commission, told Bulgarian National Television on February 10 that pork boneless neck cost about nine leva a kilogram in August, when the outbreak of ASF began, and now was about 12 leva.
The main reasons for the increase were ASF and artificially created panic on the market, he said.
“At the moment, the most characteristic feature of this market is that it is absolutely volatile. We have no equilibrium price. We have seen a lot of variability in the pricing of pork,” Ivanov said.
Currently, imports of pork were prevalent, especially for processing, he said.
The Bulgarian sector was recovering and good biosecurity measures had been taken, Ivanov said.
Reports in November 2019 said that in the course of last year, prices of pork in Bulgaria had hit a 10-year high.
There were 42 registered outbreaks of African Swine Fever in Bulgaria in 2019, eight at industrial farms, according to the Agriculture Ministry. About 140 000 pigs, more than 20 per cent of the country’s stock, were culled.
(Photo: Juan Carlos Garavito)
