site.btaDeputy Agriculture Minister Hristanov Urges EU to Address Crisis on Agricultural and Food Markets

Bulgarian Deputy Agriculture Minister Ivan Hristanov highlighted the situation of agricultural producers in the EU and urged the Union to address the crisis on the agricultural and food markets, his Ministry said on Tuesday.  He attended the February 21 Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels.

He stressed the alarming rise in the prices of basic feed and mixtures, fuels, electricity and the main fertilizers used in plant growing.

The deputy minister explained that poultry farming is in an identical situation in terms of feed, energy and sales. Also, sectors including meat and milk cannot cover their costs. He called for EU financial support for ending the crisis.

Hristanov stressed the need of coordinating policies: the Common Agricultural Policy, the trade policy and living up to the Green Deal targets. This calls for a comprehensive approach in agriculture, health care and environmental protection, as well as for tackling knowledge gaps, stakeholder resistance and value differences.

He said it was important to ensure a level playing field for competition between local and imported products by applying comparable standards and conditions to their production. MT/DD