Municipality of Strumitsa

Strumica exists because the valley between Bulgaria and Greece enjoys 230 sunny days annually with geothermal springs and fertile soil—conditions that made this municipality of 49,995 people North Macedonia's largest producer and exporter of agricultural products. From tomatoes to peppers to greenhouses, Strumica demonstrates how favorable microclimate can anchor regional agricultural dominance.

The formation story is agronomic advantage converted into infrastructure. The 8,130 hectares of arable land (88% fertile) host intensive vegetable production that supplies domestic markets and exports. Fresh fruit and vegetable production comprises 45.8% of North Macedonia's agricultural output; Strumica leads this sector. Greenhouse and plastic tunnel cultivation extends growing seasons, converting natural advantage into year-round productivity.

Since 2013, the municipality has maintained Business Friendly Certification (BFC SEE) meeting European standards for investor services. The agricultural base attracts food processing, textile, wood processing, and construction materials industries. The evolution from pure agriculture to agro-industrial processing adds value within the municipality rather than exporting raw commodities.

The challenges are structural. Young people leave rural areas for cities or abroad. Professional technical support for farming is "very poor both in content and in the process of delivery." Maintaining agricultural productivity while addressing social sustainability requires intervention across economy, education, and technology.

By 2026, Strumica faces the agricultural region's perpetual question: how to retain labor when farming's social status declines even as its economic importance grows. The municipality that feeds the country must also develop the careers and communities that keep farmers farming. The sunny days enable the crops; municipal governance must enable the people.