THE BULGARIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600010253-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 23, 2004
• Sequence Number: 253
• Publication Date: March 3, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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Bulgaria buys almost none of its Egyptian cotton directly from Egypt.
in6?s.~ad, the USS: purchases it from Egypt and then sells it to Bulgaria.
I believe that the reason for this procedure is that the USSR lacks
sufficient spinning capacity and therefore purchases cotton for processing
in the satellite coup i
ft
- .. _. - -
es a
er and buy
A proved For Release 02/10if;
C INTELLIGENCE AGED
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Bulgaria
SUBJECT The Bulgarian Textile Industry
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REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATIO:d
1. The production of textiles is the most important industry in Bulgaria. The
industry is concentrated in the following cities, listed in the order of
their importance: Gabrovo, Sofia, Sliven, Plovdiv, and , Stalin (formerly
Varna.)
Raw Materials
2. Bulgaria's present production of cotton is the same as it was before the
war, about three to four million kilograms per year. I recently heard
that this is to be increased to about six or seven million kilos, but .!
do not know the date when this target is to be reached.
3. Before the war 50% of Bulgaria's cotton imports came from India, the.re-
mainder from Egypt, South America, and the US. Today, Bulgaria imports
only Soviet and Egyptian cotton; 18 million kilos annually of the former
and about three to five million kilos of the latter. I have-never had
the opportunity to verify these figures. The Egyptian cotton comprises
only very fine grades, while the Soviet cotton consists of much coarser
grades.
 Approved For Release 2004/02/10 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600010253-6
5. Most of the hemp required by Bu.'varia is grown domestically. Koat of - tote
conatry's flax requirements must `~e imported." prier to the war, Bulnria
imported flax from Italy and the B& tic States. I do not know the source
of flax today, but possibly it is the USER.
6. Wool produced in Bulgaria is coarse. Before the war, Bulgaria imported
'Australian wool from England and wool thread 'rim Germany. I do not know
whether Bulgaria is importing wool today, but I do know there is no Import
of xOel thread from Germany,
7? In 1939 the-inventory of cC%tcn spinning mrebinerg in Bulgaria totalled
2140,000 spinning epindlwso go far as I knew,-no opinningmachines have
been imported sine -that Mme- eorcept- foie t -66,68 apiuna mill purchased
from Bast 1.rxeny in-195$?51. it is plc ned-t.* Increase, this capacity
thrrngh the importation of an-'additional 60,000 spi ilex of *pinning
machinery by 1953. In'Bulgaria we figure that the average if. man for
spinning machines is thirty years.
8. in 1939 Bulgarian spinning mills, working--two eight-hour shifts par day,
produced about 20 million kilograms of cotton Lines; ..ranging from #8 to
#36, ;With #l6 being the average. (Tlrese_fignres -refer to'tlhe Britisk
system _ ::ssignating cotton thread.) .Approotmakeltiy'- 0 to 60% of the
thread pro, - -.ned e, a r. 6, the remainder being divided among 1Ioabsrs -8, lip
24, and 36. .".ftf1!:' ~*~c M. ; the trend was toward the 'production of coarser
threads, so that uuw approximately 50 to 60% of cotton thread output is
Tn'1939 the inventory of wool spinning machines ranged from two to three
-thousand. spinning spindles for wool (streichgarn) and about 1500 for
worsted (Kamagarn). We additional-maehinery-has been imported since WoOld War
!I,, and to the best of-my knowledge, none fe -scheduled to be imported,
Wool spinning capacity is insufficient to keep the looms fully occupied;
hence 50% of Bulgarian requirements for cloth and thread have to be
imported.
spinning hemp *M flax in Bulgaria. -Therehave been no import, since that
time, and, to the best of my knowledge, norm are planned. Most of the
Al, In ]939 ?th9re were approximately seven -i oasand 1-ooaae in Bulgaria for
machines are 50 to 60 years old,
cloth. There were another thousand looms for the weaving`Of hesp:ais