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The Bulgarian Industries comprised of several heavy and small scale industries from various sectors of the economy. Just before the dawn of the 90 s the Bulgarian industrial scenario was dominated by heavy industries. The metallurgical industry flourished owing to the indigenous zinc, copper and lead ores. But the industry mainly thrived on the iron ore imports. There was an emerging chemical industry too which produced materials like plastics, rubbers, soda ash, fuels and fertilizers. A large part of the industrial sector was accounted for by the engineering industries which included the heavy industries, electrical equipments, vehicles, electronics and ship building. Bulgarian industries contributed a major share in the economy of Bulgaria in 1999 when it contributed around 29 percent to the GDP and created employment opportunities for about 31 percent of the unemployed section. The textile industry is the oldest industry in Bulgaria along with leather goods, footwear and apparel manufacturers. A sizable amount of the revenue is generated from industries like food processing, cosmetic products, pharmaceuticals, breweries, and tobacco processing. The computer industry witnessed a major boom in the 80s but was badly hit by the piracy industry. The country witnessed a shutdown of the major IT firms and the migration of skilled computer professionals to other countries, in search of better opportunities. Various industrial sectors like electrical equipments, information technology, agricultural equipments and building equipments have the potential to excel in the industrial sector of Bulgaria.
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