Bulgaria exported a previously unrecorded amount of honey in 2010, according to Gancho Ganchev, head of the National Beekeepers' Union.

Bulgaria producers exported between 7 200 and 7 700 tons of honey in 2010 out of a total of 12-13 000 produced last year, Ganchev said at the opening of the international expo "Bee-Mania" in the northeastern city of Dobrich.

"There has never been such an export of honey before. The export increased by 1 500 tons, with the first honey of rapeseed being produced," Ganchev stated.

He commented that while the wholesale price of a kilogram of honey is BGN 3.8-4.2, it is going to rise gradually in the coming years because of the product's regular business cycle.

There are some 700 000 bee families in Bulgaria but only about 2% of the bee keepers are doing it professionally, and not as a hobby.

He also said Bulgarians' average annual consumption of honey increased from 400-500 grams to 500-600 grams.