site.btaIn 2023 Bulgaria Manufactured More Ammo than Rest of Europe - Economy Minister

In 2023 Bulgaria manufactured ammunition that exceeded the production of all the rest of Europe put together, Bulgarian Economy and Industry Minister Bogdan Bogdanov said at a meeting of the parliamentary Economic Policy and Innovation Committee here on Wednesday.

"On the whole, a large part of what is manufactured in Bulgaria is needed by both our Euro-Atlantic partners and Ukraine," Bogdanov added.

He pointed out that Bulgarian companies also apply under European programmes for the expansion of their production capacity. Apart from private companies, VMZ Sopot, too, is seeking EU financing for own projects, he specified.

The Economy Minister recalled that at a meeting in Parliament, the parliamentary Defence Committee Chair and the leaders of the pro-government parties had been assured that Bulgaria could build a gunpowder plant of its own. Specific sites are already being considered for this purpose, and specific technologies have been offered. The most limitative conditions for the delivery of such equipment, the cost of such a plant and its capacity are known. Bogdanov pointed out that a commitment has been assumed to finalize a report by the end of March on various proposals for the construction of a state-owned gunpowder plant. "No matter what capacity we build, market demand is huge at this point and there will be enough business for both private and state-owned companies," he commented. 

Bogdanov said that building such a plant will have to be resolved by the National Assembly. He noted that the construction will take three or four years, which means that there is enough time to plan the investment, either from a VMZ dividend or another source.