SOFIA, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The average agricultural land prices and rents in Bulgaria last year rose by 14.6 percent and 4.5 percent respectively, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said here on Tuesday.
The average price per decare of agricultural land reached 872 Bulgarian lev (545 U.S. dollars), the NSI said.
In comparison with the previous year, a 13-percent increase was recorded in the price of arable land, while the price of permanent grassland decreased by 3.4 percent, the NSI said.
Traditionally, the highest land price was reported in the northeast region, and last year it increased further to 1,401 lev per hectare compared to 1,157 lev in 2016.
The price in the southwest region remained the lowest, 406 lev, despite 83.4 percent growth year-on-year, NSI data showed.
Meanwhile, the average rent price per decare for hired or leased agricultural land in 2017 reached 46 lev.
In comparison to the previous year, the increase in the price of arable land was 6.8 percent, while the increase in permanent grassland increased 6.7 percent. (1 U.S. dollar = 1.60 Bulgarian lev)
