The "Modern Trade" project is implemented by the Bulgarian National Horticultural Union (BNHU) with the financial support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
BNHU is a non-profit association registered in 2004. The mission of the Union is to represent and defend the interests of its members: producers of fruits, vegetables and flowers, as well as to assist them.
BNHU is managed by the General Assembly and Board of Directors. It is represented by the Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr. Slavi Trifonov.
The idea of the Union’s members to create an electronic market for fresh fruits and vegetables was born years ago. This electronic market should assist them for the rapid realization of their production. The members of the Union saw such working model at a training in the United States under the "Cochrane" Program. They gained confidence that such electronic market could become reality in Bulgaria as well.
However, in order to achieve this goal, the BNHU must go through a certain way. The Union must identify its targets and the tasks to achieve them.
The first steps were made in 2004. They were related to participation of the Union in the process of developing a strategy for the development of horticulture in Bulgaria. The BNHU was included in the process as a partner of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry together with other domestic and foreign experts and participated with ideas for the future of the sector.
Further on, the Union has had presentations in international exhibitions for agricultural production. The BNHU participated with stands in AGRA'2006 in Plovdiv, "Fruit Logistics" in Berlin in 2007, "Indagra" in Bucharest in 2013 and 2014, "World Food" in Moscow in 2013 and 2014, "Interfood "St. Petersburg in 2014 and others.
Valuable experience for the Union was the implementation of the European project "Promotion of fresh cherries in third countries (Russia and Norway)." The project began in 2013 and will continue up to 2016.
The successful projects gave confidence that the BHNU could initiate an undertaking, which exceeds the size of the Union and which could be useful for most of the fruit and vegetable growers in Bulgaria, traders and processing plants.
Thus the electronic market for fresh fruits and vegetables grew from a concept to detailed developed project. For its reasoning the project earned trust and was supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
BNHU and the team of Gradinaria - the first electronic market for fruits and vegetables in Bulgaria take up the noble cause to help increase the production and the realization of Bulgarian fresh fruits and vegetables.