site.btaBulgaria Asks to Apply Emergency Measures due to Grain Market Disturbance

Bulgaria has requested from the European Commission to apply emergency measures due to disturbance on the grain market. Bulgaria’s position was presented by Deputy Agriculture Minister Georgi Sabev at an informal EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Prague on September 14-16, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday.

Sabev said that distortions on the sunflower market are a cause of concern in Bulgaria. After a temporary liberalization of trade under the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine over 650,000 tonnes of sunflower had been imported from Ukraine, which is equal to imports during the previous two years. “Because of this Bulgarian farmers are faced with serious challenges to selling Bulgarian-grown sunflower, insufficient storage space, subsequent costs and price pressure,” said Deputy Agriculture Minister Sabev.

He also said that the gross livestock produce in Bulgaria is shrinking in the long term, and that added value is decreasing.

Bulgaria urges the Commission to pay special attention to the situation on the oilseeds market and apply all instruments including exceptional measures against market disturbances under Article 219 of Regulation 1308/2013 to mitigate the effects on EU producers.

EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said that the situation is expected to return to normal after Ukraine’s processing industry resumes and promised that Bulgaria’s request will be considered and assessed.