Bulgaria’s Agriculture Minister: We will Increase Control over Grain Imports from Ukraine

"If the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain is lifted after September 15, Bulgaria will seriously increase its control over goods entering the country from Ukraine". This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture Kiril Vatev from the parliamentary rostrum. According to him, it will mainly be monitored for heavy metals and radioactivity.

"The topic of food imports from Ukraine in general has been discussed for a long time, not only in our country, but also at all meetings of the ministers of agriculture throughout the EU, as well as separately at the level of the five frontline countries, as they are called in the EU. This is Bulgaria and the other countries that introduced the ban. Farmers' concerns are great because Ukraine is a powerful agricultural country. Ukraine does not fulfill the heavy requirements for the import of agricultural products, this is the legitimate concern, therefore we will increase the control over the production," Vatev explained.

According to him, the import ban is currently being circumvented.

"There is an import of dry milk, which is dumping our production, there is an import of Ukrainian sunflowers, which enter as Romanian," said the Minister of Agriculture.

Kiril Vatev added that he would invite the grain producers to a meeting on Saturday.

"We expect them to present their concerns and questions to us today in order to draw up a program of action," Vatev said.

According to him, he, as Minister of Agriculture, has so far been "in favor" of extending the ban on imports, but he will comply with the decision of the Council of Ministers. The Minister of Finance has presented information according to which the lifting of the ban will not seriously affect the sector. Those farmers who are in need will be assisted.

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