In Bulgaria, farmers demand a ban on the import of Ukrainian grain
Grain producers from Bulgaria on Monday announced the beginning of an indefinite protest in connection with the duty-free import of grain from Ukraine to the European Union.
As reported by “European Truth”, the BGNES article states this.
As a sign of protest, about 50 units of agricultural machinery briefly blocked the main Ruse-Pleven road. They demand that all Bulgarian members of the European Parliament protect the interests of farmers in Brussels.
Protesters claim that Ukrainian grain does not meet EU standards for agricultural production and is not treated with appropriate chemicals and fertilizers.
The coordinator of the protesters, the head of the agricultural cooperative in the village of Aleksandrovo Dimitar Dimitrov said that the protest is open-ended. According to him, this is done on purpose so that Bulgarian producers do not lose the subsidies they are entitled to from the EU.
He added that currently the grain market in Bulgaria has collapsed, and producers’ warehouses are full of unsold grain. “At the moment there is no market, and the harvest is approaching. We need to have funds to settle with counterparties,” Dimitrov explained.
It will be recalled that at the end of May 2022, the EU launched the “solidarity lanes” initiative to help Ukraine export agricultural goods by all possible routes – in particular, by rail, road and river transport – in the conditions of disruptions caused by the war with Russia.
Although the “solidarity lanes” were created to facilitate transport through neighboring countries such as Romania to wider EU and global markets, farmers from these countries have repeatedly warned that large volumes of grain are stuck in border regions, where they push local producers out of the market .
In January, the European Commission stated that does not consider the option the introduction of previously canceled tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products, despite the negative impact on farmers in some countries.
