2024-02-13 12:37:08
- About 60% of the pork, about 10% of the beef and veal, over 90 to 100% of the chicken we eat are Bulgarian
- We unconditionally support fruits and vegetables, milk producers, animal husbandry
- Those who want to protest have no desire for dialogue, they want resignations. They have forgotten that there is a market and that they must be competitive, commented the minister
The battle is to increase the share of Bulgarian production in the market, but for this we must have an exceptional orientation towards market competition. To have higher productivity, which leads to lower costs.
This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture Kiril Vatev to Nova TV.
Claims are one thing, facts are another. The problem is that everyone articulates freely with any numbers. The truth is that 80% of fruits and vegetables in Bulgaria are imported, about 40% of pork is imported, and almost 90% of beef is imported. Our production is too small and contracted. The reasons for this are long-standing, and the processes in agriculture function extremely directly with natural laws, commented the minister.
Without irrigation, we achieve 400 kg of corn per acre, and with irrigation 1600 kg. If we hypothetically assume that the price is BGN 1, although there is no such price, without watering we will achieve BGN 400, and with – BGN 1,600, that is, 4 times more with just watering. This is not done because everything has been looted over the years, now we have started to restore it. The situation is similar with fruits and vegetables, milk, meat, Vatev explained.
He asked why so many of the protesters bet on the technological maps of the ministry under their pressure – they want for breeding animals 4 tons of yield per year from a cow, given that according to all the rules, breeding animals of this breed – black and spotted, give from 8 to 17 tons per lactation. Even at 8 tons, they scrap them, and these people have staked 4 tons and claim that their rate will not be raised, the minister explained.
Regarding the protests of farmers and producers, the minister commented: They have no desire for dialogue, they want to protest, they want resignations. And here we have to look for another way of thinking about these protests. If I could solve this problem with my resignation, I would not wait to be asked for it. For many years it has been indulged – one should not indulge, but look for results.
The year 2023 is very difficult for grain producers, because a year earlier they sowed an expensive crop, preparations also became more expensive, the business year is different from the financial year. And this year they are at a loss of around 30%, he commented.
In fruits and vegetables, it is very controversial whether they are at a loss in general, but since these are sensitive sectors that need development and we do not want them to lose their value, that is why we support them.
We unconditionally support fruits and vegetables, milk producers, animal husbandry, added the minister. 460 companies related to animal husbandry went bankrupt last year, he confirmed. But he added that the registered number of animals in the system is growing.
The European regulation obliges us to support animals that are registered. That is why we enter the large ruminants. We are about to introduce electronic identification of each animal, so we will know at any moment which animal is where. In order to purchase these devices, we need to know how many are needed, so we are currently doing an animal count. This is necessary because, in order to be assisted, an animal must be identified, the minister explained.
About 60% of the pork, about 10% of the beef and veal, over 90 to 100% of the chicken we eat are Bulgarian.
Support for beekeepers was also included in the agreement signed on Monday. In order to get help, people must stop screaming and analyzes must be done, explained the minister. As an example, he gave the size of farms by number of acres. It turned out that the largest number was up to 300 decares.
The problem is not national, Bulgarian, but pan-European, and is a function of the overly ambitious Green Deal, which makes agriculture uncompetitive with non-EU countries. That is why everyone in the EU is protesting against imports from third countries, added the minister.
I understand very well the objective grounds for the protest. I also understand the subjective – of those who will come out today – they refuse dialogue and want to protest, Vatev also commented.
Accept that there is currently a momentum going that needs to stop. We are waiting for an update of the climate-soil map of Bulgaria. Climate change leads to more water and more fire – we need to be ready to respond to these situations. In these changed conditions, we have enough scientific data, we have very good agrarian science, which can very accurately determine in these climate changes what crops and specific varieties can be used in different regions, added the minister. This should have happened in conversations with people from the sector, with people from science, then the program would have been arranged.
The state must create conditions, the rest is a matter of entrepreneurial initiative. We have wonderful farms in Bulgaria that are working and you won’t see them at the protest. Here are those who have forgotten that there is a market and that they have to be competitive, and they want subsidies, Minister Vatev also said. And he defined the protests as political.
Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel is familiar with the signed agreement, she approved it, he said. And he added that there is no clarity and he is not worried about what his personal fate will be after the rotation.