site.btaAgriculture Minister, Chinese Customs Vice Minister Sign Protocol on Wild Aquatic Products Exports

The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Georgi Tahov, and Vice Minister of General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), Wu Haiping, signed a Protocol on Inspection and Sanitary Requirements for Wild Aquatic Products Exported from Bulgaria to China during a bilateral meeting in Sofia on Friday, the Agriculture Ministry reported.

During the talks, Tahov noted that, as a result of strong bilateral cooperation, the protocols signed to date and the approved sanitary certificates, trade relations between Bulgaria and China have been showing steady growth.

He added that the Agriculture Ministry, together with the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) and GACC, is actively finalizing approval procedures for exporting a number of Bulgarian agricultural and food products. To date, 39 procedures have been initiated, 12 of which have already been successfully completed with the necessary documents and certificates approved.

“The Ministry considers it a priority to complete the procedures for exporting Bulgarian wheat, rapeseed meal and animal protein feed. We are awaiting a response from the Chinese side regarding the current stage of their consideration,” Tahov said.

Haiping expressed his satisfaction with the results of the long-standing cooperation between Bulgaria and China, which has spanned more than 70 years. He reaffirmed China’s readiness to increase its investment presence in Bulgaria and underlined the growing interest among Chinese consumers in Bulgarian products, including rose oil.

The two sides also signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation between the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries and the China–CEEC Customs Information Centre, aimed at strengthening information exchange between the parties.

Attending the meeting were also China’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, Dai Qingli, Bulgaria’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Dr Lozana Vasileva, and BFSA Executive Director Dr Svetlozar Patarinski.

According to the statement, the GACC is China’s key border agency, responsible not only for traditional customs procedures but also for border health checks, inspection and quarantine during the import and export of animals, plants and related products, food safety control, and goods inspection.