Convergence of the vegetable production sector in Bulgaria compared to the EU and some member states

Abstract

The vegetable production sector is important both from the point of view of the fact that it is a traditional sector in our country, and because it is in line with the EU policies and guidelines for the development of agriculture, environmental protection and human health. Increasing attention is paid by a number of EU strategic documents to the requirements for a complete and healthy diet, of which vegetables are an indispensable part. Through the EU promotion policy, the European Commission helps EU fruit and vegetable producers to sell their agricultural products, with the aim of increasing the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables from
the EU by informing consumers about a balanced and healthy diet. One of the ideas behind the existence of the EU is to provide opportunities for all member states to effectively develop their economies, while providing the necessary levers and policies for those lagging behind to catch up with those who are advanced. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine and assess the degree of convergence of the vegetable production sector on the example of fresh vegetable production in Bulgaria with the same sector in some EU countries and with the EU average in the years after Bulgaria’s entry into the EU, using the convergence coefficient according to Ivanov (2021), calculated by two indicators – gross production per capita and productivity per unit area for 2007 – 2024. The pace of convergence of the Bulgarian vegetable production sector with the European one (average and with selected countries) is quite slow. Some economic indicators per capita in Bulgarian vegetable production are almost 50% lower than the EU average. For the period 2007 – 2024, there is a very weak movement towards convergence of the studied sector in our country with the EU average indicators (as we are at least far behind France in terms of per capita).