Farmers across Bulgaria took to the streets for a second day of protests. As announced by representatives of the National Grain Producer Association earlier, the duration of protest actions will increase with each passing day (except for the weekend, when no roads will be closed in the interest of citizens) until the farmers' demands are met. Wednesday’s protests are taking place between 10 am and 1 pm.
Farmers demand a review of the proposal for the distribution of aid and the budget, which would prevent mass bankruptcies in Bulgarian agriculture, and clear guarantees for legislative changes that will ensure the sustainability of the sector.
Later in the day, Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev presented the legislative initiatives that his team is preparing to address the crisis in the sector in response to requests received from NGOs. That took place during an external meeting of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Forestry, which was held at the Agriculture Ministry on Vatev's initiative.
Prior to the meeting, the Minister took part in a briefing at the Council of Ministers along with Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov. "We are ready with the main points in the new memorandum we propose to sign with the farmers. The goal is clear: unblocking the process as quickly as possible, which will allow the Government to support the grain farmers who have suffered losses in 2023," Denkov said. He expects to meet sector representatives at 6 pm on Wednesday to reach an agreement with the Government on all points of the new memorandum.
The Bulgarian Agrarian Chamber accepted Denkov’s invitation on Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday, protests were held in over 80 locations across the country.
Protesting farmers in the Plovdiv region blocked the roundabout near the village of Trud on the main Plovdiv-Karlovo road.
Farmers from Yambol region blocked the Trakia Motorway exits near Yambol.
The main road between Stara Zagora and Dimitrovgrad was also closed.
Protestors from the Pleven region gathered in Gorni Dabnik and at the junction for Slavyanovo and Pordim, blocking the main Sofia-Ruse road. They also gathered at the village of Brestovets and blocked the Pleven-Lovech road.
The road between Sofia and Varna was blocked near Targovishte by local farmers.
Farmers from Vratsa region continue their protest by blocking the Mizia-Oryahovo road for a second day.
Farmers blocked the Danube Bridge at Ruse and spilled a tanker of milk. They organized a procession with agricultural machinery near the border control check point.
The road to Danube Bridge 2 at Vidin was also blocked for the second day.
Road connections in the regions of Burgas, Haskovo, Kyustendil, Pernik and more were also blocked.
/IV/
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