site.btaNew Measure to Cover Energy Costs of Largest Agricultural Producers

"We worked hard in the previous days to find a formula to cover the energy costs of the largest [agricultural] producers. This has nothing to do with support following the war in Ukraine and nothing to do with the regulation. After working with experts from the GERB-UDF, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and the [Agriculture] Ministry, the appropriate formula has been found and sent to the Ministry of Finance for notification," Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev said at the meeting of the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee. 

He pointed out that this is aid from the 2023 budget and the money is available. This is the BGN 39 million that remain under the Ukrainian measure. The aid will cover 70 percent of the energy costs, which must be presented with cost documents. The rest of the money will be redistributed to everyone else, the Minister added. 

Committee chairwoman Desislava Taneva added that this new aid addresses one of the points in the Memorandum signed on 20 September.

Minister Vatev said that many calls were received on Wednesday from small livestock farmers who have been threatened by the organisers of the protest held last week and planned to be held again Thursday. The threats were that they would be in big trouble if they did not join Thursday's protest.