Bulgaria is a traditional tobacco producer, with the biggest number of tobacco producers in the EU- some 37 000 people. The country grows mostly highly aromatic oriental tobacco, which can be only hand-picked, and accounts for some 72 % of the oriental tobacco in the Union. By tradition, the state regularly gives financial aid to the tobacco industry. This year, however, tobacco producers received funding for a last time. In 2004 a reform of the tobacco sector in the EU started abolishing tobacco production aids for the period of 2006-2010, since tobacco consumption is at odds with the Bloc’s health priorities. Bulgaria is the last and only member, which has paid producers state aids to the tune of some 58 million euro for 2009 crops.
The abolishment of state aids has stirred a lot of emotion among tobacco producers, who are mostly of Turkish origin and live in mountain regions across Bulgaria. The poor soils in these areas lend easily to tobacco growing, which has turned into a century-long tradition. Economic and social concussions in the last two decades, however, have deprived the people in the regions of alternative options for making a living. The entire population has started to rely only on tobacco crops. The abolishment of the state aids has put into question the survival of families who are entirely into tobacco growing, as well as the future of tobacco production in Bulgaria.
“Bulgaria will keep producing oriental tobacco, perhaps in bigger quantities, since it is a scarce commodity”, Agriculture and Food Minister Miroslav Naydenov said. “Everything we produce gets sold to the last kilo. Moreover, the demand worldwide exceeds the supply. The production organization in these regions should be different, though. It is implausible to think that a big family will keep earning a living only on tobacco. In the recent past, the people here had other jobs; tobacco-growing was only an additional income for them. After the disappearance of other means of living, such as mining and infrastructure projects, all people in the region turned entirely to tobacco growing and production. This can not last for a long time! People should start looking for other occupations outside agriculture. Currently we are launching again the hydropower project of the Gorda Arda Hydro Power Plant, which will open jobs. We want to engage tobacco producers in alternative occupation, which is less related to agriculture”, Mr Naydenov said further.
At the insistence of Bulgaria’s Agriculture Minister, some 72 million euro is laid out in budget 2011. The money has been approved by Brussels. Aids will not be given for tobacco production, but rather for alternative occupational programmes in support of rural development.
“So far there have been a lot of contracts between tobacco-producing municipalities and the EU rural development programmes”, Miroslav Naydenov went on to say. “I talked with EU Agriculture Minister Dacian Ciolos on the issue, and I hope we will come up with a special measure directed at these regions, so that money can go to reforms involving the traditional regions of tobacco producers”, Bulgaria’s Agriculture and Food Minister concluded.
Northern Greece, which has been producing oriental tobacco for centuries, has already implemented tobacco reforms. Greek tobacco production has dropped 80%. Tobacco growers have decreased from 50 000 to 15 000, according to the International Tobacco Growers’ Association.
English version: Vyara Popova
