site.btaAgriculture Ministry Comes Up with Easter Basket Initiative for Affordable Goods

The Agriculture and Food Ministry has launched an Easter Basket initiative for affordable quality goods. The April 11-19 campaign aims to provide households with quality Bulgarian food traditionally bought for Easter: lamb, kid goat meat, eggs, kozunak (Easter bread) and holiday pastries, the Ministry said.

The initiative will be implemented through voluntary collaboration between the Agriculture Ministry and retail chains and supermarkets, which could sell those products at controlled prices.

Easter Basket is a voluntary pricing initiative, not a legislative measure. Retailers are under no legal obligation to participate; they could agree to include specific products in a designated list and offer them at stable or reduced prices, said the Agriculture Ministry.

The expected outcomes for households are more affordable prices during a period of increased demand and spending. The benefits for businesses include an enhanced public image and stronger consumer relations through demonstrated social responsibility. The campaign also aims to prevent speculative price surges and maintain price stability, the Ministry said.

In March, the Agriculture Ministry presented an agrifood chain bill, which aims to regulate trade practices and the fair distribution of added value. Agriculture Minister Georgi Tahov said at the time the goal is to regulate fair relations between agricultural producers, farmers as suppliers and retail chains through the bill, which will apply to all retail chains operating in Bulgaria.

The bill is a crisis measure, as it provides for the regulation of 22 products out of more than 5,000 sold by Bulgarian retail chains, Tahov said. It has been submitted for impact assessment by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences teams, which will take at least three weeks, to be followed by a month-long public consultation.