site.btaFarmers Hold Tenth National Meeting

On Wednesday, the Tenth National Meeting of Farmers, organized by the Bulgarian Association of Agricultural Producers (BAAP) was opened in Kazanlak.

BAAP Chairman Ventsislav Varbanov said that the most important thing is the dialogue between all stakeholders. According to him, for 20 years Bulgarian farmers have become more modern and more competitive, but they are no longer inferior to their EU counterparts. He added that their team will work to attract young people. The team's cause will be to restore the authority of Bulgarian farmers and revive traditions in agriculture. They will continue to work to improve relations with other branch organizations and close cooperation with representatives of agricultural science and trade unions.

The association's new executive director, Zhivko Zhivkov, is committed to working to expand the association's perimeter to reach a wider range of farmers in more areas of the country, Varbanov said.

Outgoing Agriculture and Food Minister Kiril Vatev stressed that the farming community needs to unite.

Chair of the National Assembly's Agriculture Committee Desislava Taneva echoed this opinion. She stressed that Europe does not remember such a protest wave. "I think that the European Commission was not strong enough to respond well enough to the European protest wave," Taneva said, adding that in her opinion the Commission should make it clear that it supports farmers.

The Executive Director of the State Fund "Agriculture" Georgi Tahov said that in 2023 the Fund has paid more than BGN 3 billion under various schemes and measures. He pointed out that by the end of the month an additional redistribution payment will be made.