SOFIA (Bulgaria), June 6 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria’s rose oil output is seen at about 1.5 tonnes this year, similar to the volume produced in 2010, local media reported on Monday, citing agriculture ministry data.
Rose-picking season began 10 days later than usual this year due to rainfalls and cold weather but purchase prices of rose flowers are higher than a year ago mostly due to loss of some plantings as a result of frosts, local business daily Dnevnik (www.dnevnik.bg) reported.
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The average buying price per kilogramme of rose flowers varies from 1.5 levs ($1.1/0.77 euro) to 1.8 levs, up from 1.1-1.2 levs last year. Bulgaria has planted some 3,500 hectares with roses which are expected to yield about three tonnes of rose flowers per hectare this year, Dnevnik said.
Bulgarian producers sell their rose oil only internationally. Most of it goes to France and the share of exports to the U.S., Japan and the Middle East has been rising by the year.
“The rose oil price is relatively constant, around 4,400-4,500 euro ($5,600-$6,600) per kilogramme, we expect it to be the same this year, too ,” the daily quoted the manager of local rose oil producer Roza Eterna, Angel Tokmakchiev, as saying.
(1 euro = 1.95583 Bulgarian levs)