Bulgaria will receive about 10 million euros from the second financial package of 100 million euros under the proposal of the European Commission to support farmers from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia as a partial compensation for the difficulties caused by the import of agricultural products from Ukraine. This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture Yavor Gechev, quoted by Nova TV.
However, according to him, this money is not enough. He explained that Bulgaria will request information from the EC on the methods used to calculate the second financial aid for Bulgarian agricultural producers who suffered from Ukrainian imports.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Bulgaria is underestimated in relation to the second package. We absolutely want, it is extremely important to us, that two more products be tested by June 5th. Not only sunflower oil, dry milk is very important to us. The purchase price of milk fell by 30% in two months, however, note, this did not affect the final price in the retail chains, he explained.
In addition to the agreements reached with the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture on general mechanisms for impact in the event of market disturbances, including sharp price changes in bilateral trade with sunflower oil, Minister Gechev clarified that work is also being done on other topics.
We are working, including on guarantee funds, to offer the EU itself to realize – deferred payment to various countries that consume wheat, because it is extremely important not just to have bans, but to have mechanisms that regulate this type of crisis, he added he.
Regarding the import of lamb for Gergjovden Gechev specified that the import of cheap Macedonian lamb meat is significantly smaller than last year. When there is Bulgarian production, it is at a higher price, but this price is voluntarily desired by the consumers themselves, i.e. Bulgarian products have quality, hence the demand, added the minister.
We remind you that transit Ukrainian grain flooded the domestic markets in recent months and undercut the price of Bulgarian production. The situation was similar in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. This caused a wave of dissatisfaction among Bulgarian grain producers. In April, the cabinet imposed a temporary ban on food imports from Ukraine. The order was lifted in early May.
