BULGARIA-LAVENDER Bulgaria expected to top global producers of lavender for fourth year running

Record ID: 146705

  • Title: BULGARIA-LAVENDER Bulgaria expected to top global producers of lavender for fourth year running
  • Date: 16th July 2015
  • Summary: PHOTO OF OLD DISTILLERY ON WALL
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bulgaria
  • Country: Bulgaria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA44YZ0JGFXHL5MFFHVTOCZ9IJU
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Rolling purple fields, heady aromas and trampling in distillery vats: but this isn't the south of France, this is Bulgaria's Rose Valley, set to become the world's top lavender oil producer for the fourth year running.
    The oil, used is cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, has long been the calling card of Provence. But Bulgaria's budding producers have taken advantage of flagging French production to seize the number one spot in recent years.
    Soil in the Rose Valley is light enough for the crop to flourish, while weather conditions in May and June nourish lavender yielding a high oil percentage.
    For technologist at the Enyo Bonchev Distillery, Genka Zhekova, Bulgaria's bumper crop deserves its top ranking in terms of production.
    "Bulgarian lavender has a well-balanced composition of ingredients, needed for the pharmaceutical industry and perfumery. It is rich and of good, pleasant components, without have irritating or pungent ingredients," she said.
    Head of the distillery, Phillip Lisicharov, said that the country's exports are flourishing so much that France itself is buying up supplies.
    "Our production has grown from 30 tons to over 150 tons this year. Quality of the Bulgarian lavender oil is excellent; it is compared to the French top quality. This is the so-called traditional Bulgarian lavender oil. However there is some new plantations in northern Bulgaria which are not up to that quality. Bulgaria has overpassed France in terms of production, due to the disease which is in France for the past seven, eight years. We have good specialists to keep control of the quality. Our company's producing lavender oil for over 20 years, and our main customers are based in France, United States and Asia," he said.
    "Bulgaria's production of lavender oil has substantially increased in the past years. The question now is how much of this production the market can take. And for me, the answer here is very simple: quality. The market will accept and is looking for the good quality Bulgarian traditional lavender oil," he added.
    Harvesting takes place from July to August, and despite increasing use of machinery, many Bulgarians still pick by hand in the narrower rows, before distilling and bottling capture the scent - if not the colour -- of the country's fields.
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