Evnen talks about recent trade mission to Bulgaria

LINCOLN - Nebraska officials are providing an update after a recent trade mission to Bulgaria.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen issued his final report on Tuesday regarding the recent trip, which was financed in part by a grant from the USDA Emerging Markets Program.

The trade mission was a follow-up to a trade mission to Bulgaria held in 2019. 

“We returned to Bulgaria after our successful visit in 2019," Evnen said. "Nebraska dry edible beans were the focus of this trade mission. Nebraska is the number one grower of Great Northern beans in the United States and the number three grower of Pinto beans.”

In 2021, the Nebraska bean industry experienced a surplus of Great Northern beans, partly due to a 25 percent retaliatory tariff imposed by the EU on dry edible beans from the U.S. Earlier this year that tariff was removed. 

Pierfrancesco Sportelli, Kelley Bean International Trading Manager from the Netherlands, participated in the trade mission. Kelley Bean Company is a large western Nebraska processor. Sportelli met with two major dry bean processors and distributors in Bulgaria, and he participated in a conference with others interested in Nebraska ag products.

German Martos, Director of Sales Lindsay Irrigation, and Dr. Chris Calkins, representing beef from Nebraska, also participated in the trade mission. Martos met with the largest agricultural grower in Bulgaria. Dr. Calkins, Professor Emeritus of Animal Science at UNL, presented information about the Nebraska beef to an audience of chefs and hospitality managers.

“We greatly appreciate the work of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in Bulgaria, whose assistance and support were integral to the success of this trade mission,” Evnen said. “We are grateful for the strong support of our trade mission provided by the U.S. Embassy in Sofia. We also thank the Nebraska Department of Agriculture for its administrative support in processing this grant request.”

“We are very happy with the outcomes and look forward to ongoing trade between Nebraska and Bulgaria, and other markets around the world,” Evnen concluded.