PM Denkov: Memorandum signed with farmers reflects their demands and government's priorities

Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov told a briefing on Wednesday that a memorandum signed with agricultural producers takes immediate effect. The document reflects both the protesters' demands and the government's priorities, he said.

This act is not a sign of retreat, but is intended to help farmers work in peace, Denkov said.

"A very important fundamental document was signed with the government, for which we are grateful. We are going back home to do what we do best - farming," said representatives of the initiative committee which organized the protests.

The Agriculture and Food Ministry is drawing up a set of long-term measures and policies, the agricultural producers said.

The grain growers who had gathered at Dolni Borgov, near Sofia, ended their two-day nationwide protest provoked by the lifting of a ban on Ukrainian food imports by the Bulgarian Parliament on September 14. Ilia Prodanov from the initiative committee read out to the protesters the draft memorandum agreed at Tuesday's meeting with Denkov, Finance Minister Assen Vassilev and Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev.

The protesters' demands were summed up as follows:

The ban on imports of sunflower from Ukraine is to be extended until the amount produced in Bulgaria in the 2022/2023 marketing year is exhausted. The quantities required by processing operations for production are to be determined. Negotiations are underway with the European Commission to ban Ukrainian imports of crops exceeding 10% of the net national production volume. A licensing requirement for wheat, maize and rapeseed imports will be elaborated as agreed between Ukraine and the EC.
The European Commission has found that BGN 150 million in support of farmers' liquidity for overcoming the negative economic impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine is compliant with the State aid rules. As to additional funds of BGN 63 million, efforts are being made to shorten the time-frame for the EC's decision until the end of September. The total amount of BGN 213 million is to be paid by October 6. A national position on scrapping the cap on aid in response to the war in Ukraine should be drawn up and adopted by the Council of Ministers by September 23, and talks should be held with the European Commission President.
Farmers who have applied by September 26 for state aid compensating them for crops which have been entirely destroyed by disasters will receive support within three working days after the applications are processed.
BGN 47.5 million under the de minimis scheme will come in the form of additional funding from the budget and will be distributed equally between farmers in the livestock sector, including beekeepers, and in plant breeding.
Dairy farmers who cannot prove the sale of their products due to dry milk imports from Ukraine will be able to claim payments under the coupled support schemes, invoking force majeure and subject to authorization from the EC. 

Earlier in the day, the cabinet allocated BGN 63 million to State Fund Agriculture for support for agricultural producers in 2023.

On Monday, the protesters were located at 40 key traffic points.

Ilia Prodanov thanked the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance for the reached consensus, and expressed a hope that the agreements would yield favourable results in the long run.

Denkov apologized to the agricultural producers for inadvertently insulting them when he called them "terrorists", saying that he was referring to people he had invited to discuss pressing problems but they were talking to the government through the media. Those present welcomed the apology.