site.btaFruit and Vegetable Growers' Protest Culminates in Road Blockade

Fruit and vegetable growers from Southern Bulgaria blocked the road between Plovdiv and Karlovo with tractors and a human chain on Wednesday in a second public protest against the government's farmer support policy. The blockade involved over 100 farmers from Pazardjik, Plovdiv, Karnobat, Stara Zagora and Krichim, among other places.

The protesters warned that the government is set to bring Bulgarian fruit and vegetable production to ruin. They said that payments under the scheme for coupled support (i.e. payments directly linked to the volume of output) are not only delayed but also smaller by a quarter compared with 2021, while output costs have increased by 50 per cent. Another problem is what the protesters see as uneven distribution of COVID-related compensation in favour of animal farmers.

A demonstrator said: "We want the 111 million leva provided for the anti-COVID measure to be distributed evenly between stock breeders, fruit and vegetable growers, rose growers etc." According to Teodora Krasteva, President of the Bulgarian Greenhouse Farmers' Association, anti-COVID support should be split 50-50 between crop growers and stock breeders. "We are not seeking confrontation with our colleagues in the animal farming sector, but everyone deserves what he earns to make ends meet. It is a peaceful protest, our demands are clear, we are open to dialogue - and we want to work."

The protesters also demanded compensation for rising prices of energy sources and fertilizers. They further insisted that it is high time for farmers in the Plovdiv area to be compensated for the damage inflicted by hailstorms last year.