Italian man grows tomatoes in Bulgaria

Ero Fabrizio Freschi is an Italian farmer who comes to Bulgaria in 2004 and notices the many uncultivated lands in our country. He wonders how this is possible and decides to embark on a Bulgarian adventure by transferring his business to Bulgaria. He settles in the village of Shishmantsi, Rakovski Municipality, buys the buildings of the former collective farm in the village and now cultivates over 30,000 decares in the area.

Today Fabrizio Freschi is one of the largest producers of tomatoes in Bulgaria. He claims that the yields are the same as in Italy, but ours are tastier.

"About two years ago I made a project under a European program for the purchase of machines worth about EUR 1.5 million. To buy these machines I needed a loan. The bank was giving a maximum of 50% of the amount for the machines, but the National Guarantee Fund provided a guarantee for 80% of the funding. It happened fast, and with the NGF support the interest rate was lower," says the Italian man. He adds that the bank prepared and handled all the documents required to apply for a guarantee.

For Ero Fabrizio Fresco, loans are necessary to accelerate business development. He is satisfied with his new equipment - he has bought five tomato irrigation systems equipped with a computer and all protections. He also got a vegetable harvester of the latest generation. It is equipped with photocells that select tomatoes and has a capacity of 40 tons per hour.

"This is equipment without which modern agriculture is inconceivable - the Italian man is convinced - it replaces the work of 1,000 people a day."