Bulgarians consume about 25 tons of chocolate per year, making about 3.5kg per person in our country, show Eurostat data on the production and consumption of chocolate in the EU countries in 2017.

This makes a daily consumption of one person in our country about 20-50 grams, while in the EU it is calculated between 30 and 90 grams on average for Europeans. Every European consumed an average of about 10 kg of chocolate a year, which is almost three times the average in our country, Eurostat reports.

The chocolate market in Bulgaria amounts to about 350 million leva per year, and every fifth consumer of the sweet temptation is in the capital. Ladies in Bulgaria aged 20-40 are among the most passionate chocolate lovers.

The number of the most popular chocolate brands in our country is limited to 5-6 types, which are mainly directed to the average price class and are produced by two or three international companies specialized in chocolate business. According to experts, the comparatively low production of chocolate in Bulgaria by small private companies is limited due to both the relatively low consumption of this product and the shortage of cocoa raw material, and this problem also affects the production of chocolate on a global scale.

In 2017, the European Union produced about 4 million tons of chocolate worth 18.3 billion euros. Among the Member States, Germany produces the most chocolate - 1.3 million tonnes, or 32% of the total chocolate production in the Community, followed by Italy (0.7 million tonnes or 18%), France and the Netherlands (both 0.4 million tonnes or 9% of total EU production).

Followed by Britain - 0.3 million tonnes or 7% of total production, Belgium - 0.3 million tonnes or 6%, Poland - 0.2 million tonnes or 5%, and Spain - 0.1 million tonnes tonnes or 4% of total EU chocolate production.

These eight EU Member States have produced over 90% of the total chocolate production in the community in 2017, according to statistics. Data does not include the production of chocolate used for industrial purposes, the analysis says.

Every year, every European consumes about 10kg of chocolate, and the turnover from the sweet temptation sales varies between 18-20 billion euros, according to Eurostat.

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