site.btaThracian Association of Grain Producers Ends Protests

The representatives of the Thracian Association of Grain Producers are ending their protest, said chairman Radoslav Hristov. "We are expecting the agreement reached during the negotiations to be signed on Monday. We've seen the main parts of the document and there were a few things that we wanted revised," he explained.

According to Hristov, it is impossible for all demands to be met but more important is which of the demands will have greater weight. "For many people the financial side has a greater weight but for me in my capacity as chair of the Thracian Association of Grain Producers and member of the Management Board of the National Association of Grain Producers I believe that the legislative part is more important," he said.

Because of the mushrooming of branch organizations, Hristov wants to see a law on branch organization with clear criteria for national representation. According to him, during the negotiations it is important to have representation of large organizations which can present the demands and the real problems of their members.

On Friday Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said that an agreement had been reached on the main points, adding that the funds will be provided from the budgets of the Agriculture and Food Ministry and State Fund Agriculture.

Smallest producers, who farm up to 300 hectares of land, would not have to prove their losses. In order to receive financial support, larger farmers will have to provide an income statement, proving that they are running at a loss.

The smallest farmers will receive the most, then the medium-sized ones and the largest will receive the least. There will be an aid ceiling, which will be fixed when the full picture is obtained, Denkov said.