site.btaFruit, Vegetable Growers Threaten Protests over Government Policy

The Fruit and Vegetable Branch Chamber (FVBC) strongly condemns the way political formations are treating the agriculture sector, the organization reported in a press release distributed on Friday. The organization is ready to initiate protests, if disbursement of key aid under the Ukraine 2 sector gets delayed for the fourth time.

The chamber cited data from its structures, comprised of 1,800 member farmers who report that they struggle daily with a host of challenges. Those include insufficient labour force, irrigation problems, climate change, having to compete against well-subsidized European producers, bureaucratic burdens. FVBC's statement suggests that these are only some of the problems they face in the context of caretaker cabinets struggling to settle financial obligations.

The FVBC spoke about an agreement that the Nikolay Denkov cabinet reached with the Bulgarian Agrarian Chamber on February 12, which included deadlines for the payment of compensations and policies to prevent the industry from falling into its current state

The chamber reported that it will wait until the third deadline for the disbursement of the key aid under the Ukraine 2 sector. If there is a fourth delay, however, the organization will be forced to stage a protest.

Earlier this week, the National Grain Producer Association (NGPA) issued a statement voicing its discontent over the state’s failure to meet the deadlines for granting aid to farmers in relation to Russia's war against Ukraine. The NGPA also referred to the state aid payment terms laid out in the February 12 agreement and declared that the agreement has been violated.

In early February 2024, farmers across the country staged a series of protests demanding a review of the aid distribution proposal and the budget that would prevent mass bankruptcies in Bulgarian agriculture, as well as clear guarantees for legislative changes that would ensure the sustainability of the sector. The protests led to the signing of the agreement on February 12. Following the commitments made by the Denkov cabinet, State Fund Agriculture announced a deadline for applications under the state aid programmes "Aid to support the liquidity of farmers to overcome the negative economic impact of Russian aggression against Ukraine" and "Aid to support the liquidity of farmers producing cereals and oilseeds to overcome the negative economic impact of Russian aggression against Ukraine" between March 20 and April 9, 2024.

The first payment was made to farmers in May, while the second was due by September 30.