National grain producer association chair Prodanov resigns as adviser to Minister of Agriculture

National Grain Producer Association (NGPA) Chair Ilia Prodanov resigned as an adviser to Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev, Prodanov said for NOVA.

The NGPA Chair explained that the decision to take the position of adviser to the minister was a collective one of the association, and the decision for him to resign was also collective. The focus should now be on how many unresolved problems there are in the agriculture sector, said Prodanov.

He pointed out that the upcoming protests have no political motivation, their sole purpose is to solve the problems that have been simmering for years in a sector that produces a large part of the country's gross domestic product.  There are issues in the entire sector - with animal breeders, beekeepers, fruit and vegetable producers, and the focus is shifting only on grain producers, Prodanov noted. 

"I hope that the Prime Minister was wrong and wanted to say tractorists, not terrorists," Prodanov also said on the occasion of Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov's comments on Saturday. He pointed out that the Prime Minister's "unacceptable" statement only unites people in agriculture, not divides them.

Prodanov added that 15 days ago the grain producers requested a meeting with the Prime Minister, but were not granted an opportunity for dialogue before the decision of the National Assembly to lift the ban on importing grain from Ukraine. He argued that the decision was made unilaterally, without seeking dialogue. 

On Saturday, the NGPA refused a meeting with the Prime Minister.