Basic basket of goods up 8.6%, cucumber prices soar 55.8%

The cost of a basic basket of 21 goods – 20 food products and A95 petrol – rose by 8.6% year on year in September and by 0.7% compared with August, according to data from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB).

The basket now costs €62.06, around €5 more than a year ago. A95 petrol has risen by nearly 31%, while the price of a kilogram of Dobrudzha, Bulgaria’s most widely purchased type of bread, is up 8.3%.

Tomatoes and cucumbers recorded the steepest annual price increases, at 48.9% and 55.8% respectively, BNR reporter Tsvetelina Stoyanova said.

According to CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov, Bulgaria’s minimum wage can buy 10 such baskets, while mark-ups between wholesale markets and retail shops range from 22% to 146%.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova