35) Achievements
Bulgaria's industry, of course, is still dominated by light industry, with the most dominant performance of agricultural processing businesses.
There are 84 agricultural processing businesses across the country, accounting for 25% of the total number of businesses, and eight processing businesses with assets of more than 5 million Leva. Their total output accounts for 35.4% of the total industrial output, and flour processing plants are at the top of the list in the food industry.
But still, it is a monopolistic economy that dominates Ferdinand's Shuanghui Food Development. This company accounts for over seventy percent of the output and almost monopolizes all exports!
The field of machinery manufacturing is still Bulgaria's biggest shortcoming! Besides Ferdinand coming up with the 'Bulgarian machinery factory', there is not a single one.
Only a few remaining machinery factories also lack the market competitiveness of a single product. Even if the Bulgarian government has been exempted from taxes, it is still struggling to survive on the line.
In contrast, Ferdinand's Bulgarian machinery factory is much more outstanding and is now an integrated machinery manufacturing consortium.
Basically, they can copy the world's major machinery, such as textile machines, mills, most steam engines, and other products. The quality is already on par with the international!
Even have manufactured cars but have not been able to market, either the cost is too high, or the performance is too poor to be competitive in the market!
At the same time, the Bulgarian machinery factory is also the largest spare parts manufacturer and supplier in Southeast Europe, with a market share of about 53.5%. Machinery factories can proudly declare that there is no part in this world that they can not copy!
By 1895, Bulgaria had more than 9,800 miles of railroads and 15,000 kilometers of roads, and the main arteries were basically all connected. The level of transportation, although not as good as in Western Europe, but is one of the best in Southeastern Europe.
In the field of primary education, Ferdinand can proudly declare that Bulgaria is already at the top of the world! Although there is no compulsory education, it is almost there, and the elementary school enrollment rate in Bulgaria is already as high as 96.6%.
The secondary school enrollment rate is a staggering 20.4%, surpassing the Great Powers and ranking first in the world! (Historically the world's number one)
Of course, at a higher level of education, Bulgaria still has a gap from the Great Powers. There is only one science university across the country, supported by more than a dozen vocational education colleges of various types, which is all the top-level education in Bulgaria!
Ferdinand does not want to get a few more universities, but these days the university professors, where are precious, to be able to get together the staff of the University of Bulgaria is not easy!
Between quality and quantity, Ferdinand did not hesitate to choose quality. Quantity is not enough to use technical schools to make up!
The University of Bulgaria's main purpose is to train top-notch talent. Bulgaria's population base, with five or six hundred students enrolled yearly, also puts a net of talented people!
Compared to the pathetic two thousand college students in Bulgaria, vocational colleges are much larger, with up to 38,000 students and teachers.
Among them, the factory commissioned training personnel and occupied a large proportion! Since it is to train engineers, as for the requirements, of course, are much lower!
At the end of the 19th century, there were few advanced medical devices, and doctors could not rely on machine examination but mostly on experience.
Therefore, the training cycle of doctors is much longer, and unlike the late four or five years to train out of doctor, there are no ten or eight years of study in this era. You do not want to graduate!
Due to insufficient doctors, Ferdinand could not do anything about it. The measures taken in the short term remain the same: organize local physicians and conduct short-term training. As much as they can improve it, it counts.
As for the medical school, I'm sorry, they haven't graduated yet? The earliest group of students, only seven or eight years of study, are still interns, in gaining experience!
Of course, the level of medical care has increased dramatically, nurses are much easier to train, and the need has been initially met.
In 1895, the total import and export trade of Bulgaria amounted to 760 million Leva, which was almost four times more than in 1887. The total imports amounted to 365 million Leva, the total out was 395 million Leva, and the trade surplus was 30 million Leva.
Among them, 71.5% of the total trade is with Russia, which is the largest trading partner of Bulgaria, and in this trade has been a trade surplus, of course, counting on the expenses of the introduction of migrants, basically considered a trade balance!
Revenues, which continued to grow rapidly, increased by 25% compared to 1894, reaching 218 million Leva! It was much higher than the 13% growth rate of the Bulgarian economy, mainly due to the benefit of the 'First Five-Year Plan'!
In order to stimulate economic development and encourage private capital to enter the industry, the Bulgarian government has taken administrative measures to intervene in the market. Tax breaks of varying numbers of years have been offered to many industries, and now that the time has come for tax relief for some businesses, the government coffers are beginning to reap the dividends!
After listening to the cabinet's report, Ferdinand secretly sighed: it's not easy! After ten years of hard work, Bulgaria has finally developed by leaps and bounds, both in the industrial and agricultural fields, and in the military field, has achieved excellent development!
Only Ferdinand nodded and said, "Good! After ten years of hard work, Bulgaria can also be said to have stepped into the doorstep of an industrial country!
However, now we still can not relax, a new challenge is coming, and the success or failure depends on this one!
The next year will be the most crucial year since the founding of Bulgaria! What is the cabinet's planning strategy?"
Prime Minister Konstantin calmly said: "Your Highness, in the coming year, the government does not intend to carry out any major construction, except for the implementation of the 'Second Five-Year Plan' already made!
In order to ensure an advantage in the upcoming war, the Cabinet will devote maximum effort to preparing for war and maximizing our war potential as much as possible!"
Ferdinand nodded and signaled to continue.
The people sitting here are aware of the current situation in Bulgaria that the industrial development has almost reached the limit of this country!
Raw materials and markets are the dual factors that constrain the further development of Bulgaria!
It was also a mistake in Ferdinand's estimation before. If not for the 1894 Bulgarian-Serbian War, which consumed part of the supplies, the rapid development of the Bulgarian economy now would have stopped!
No way; who called Bulgaria's own market limited? And international trade, for most medium and small businesses, is undoubtedly a fool's errand!
First of all, the quality of the product, compared to the developed countries, does not have an advantage.
Secondly, the export of Bulgarian products through the land: the cost is too high, and it reaches as far as Austria-Hungary is the limit.
Export by sea: In addition to the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and Romania exported to other countries. First of all, the Ottoman Empire has to draw a tariff and raise the cost! After adding a tariff in terms of price also tends to disadvantage.
It is why one of the reasons why trade between Bulgaria and Russia is booming is forced out and blocked by Turkey. Except for very few specialty products, other goods are difficult to compete in internationally!
Of course, there are disadvantages and advantages to the industrial and commercial products of the industrial powers of Western Europe, which must also go through double tariffs into Russia. Not to mention the quality, the price alone, plus freight and an additional tariff, not competitive than the Bulgarian goods!
Likewise, the export of Russian goods (mainly grain and industrial raw materials) had to be skinned by the Ottomans, which seriously stood in the way of the aristocratic lords!