hundreds of angry farmer People took to the streets of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia on Monday to call out the government’s “total failure” to address the growing challenges in the agricultural sector.
They called on Agriculture Minister Kirill Vatev to resign and demand state compensation for high costs and lost income for failing to keep his promise to ease administrative burdens on the agricultural sector.
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Like farmers in other parts of Europe, Bulgarian farmers are struggling with heavy-handed European Union regulations, soaring fertilizer and energy costs due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, increased imports of agricultural products flooding the domestic market, and declining agricultural production. They are dissatisfied with their declining abilities. price.
Benzislav Varbanov, head of the Agricultural Producers Association, complained that instead of seeking some relief from farmers, the government is adding to their undue burdens.
At a protest in front of the Ministry of Agriculture in Sofia, Bulgarian farmers hold posters with their one-week-old calves reading: “We want farmers to be treated humanely” and “We want to be farmers in Bulgaria.” 5th, 2024. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
“Let me remind you that even when Ukrainian products flooded us, our interests were not protected,” he said, referring to cheap products exported from Ukraine. There was no budget guarantee for the losses incurred.”
Varbanov called for long-term government policy, saying: “We want to know what will happen tomorrow, next year and the next five years.”
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Meanwhile, the Grain Producers Association announced that its members may take part in protests on Tuesday by blocking highways with agricultural vehicles.
The association expressed dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov’s statement on compensation demands that only grain producers who can prove losses in 2023 will receive financial support. The association is calling for some form of compensation for all grain producers.
