The Italian Embassy in Sofia organised an event in cooperation with the Italian National Association of Nurserymen Exporters (ANVE) and the Bulgarian Association of Ornamental Plants Nurseries, focusing on Italian exports of live plants to Bulgaria.
In 2021, this figure rose by 50%, for a total of approximately EUR 4.4 million. Italy, in particular, is Bulgaria’s third largest supplier of live plants, with a share of 10.69% of the Bulgarian market, right after the Netherlands (the world’s biggest producer of bulbs and rhizomes) and the Republic of North Macedonia, confirming the important potential for the development of partnerships in the industry between the two Countries.
The event was opened by Ambassador Giuseppina Zarra. Experts in the industry presented the peculiarities and excellences of the Italian and Bulgarian ornamental plants nurseries industry, and explored the possibilities for cooperation between the companies in the two Countries. In 2021, Italy exported live plants to the world for a total of around EUR 1,000,150,000, recording a +20% growth compared to 2020. Italian floriculture accounts for over 5% of the national agricultural production and Italy ranks second in Europe in the floriculture industry, with about 21% of the companies (27,000 companies) and 17.4% of the allocated area (29,000 hectares cultivated).