Bulgaria is doing everything possible to increase the security of shipping in the Black Sea. The government is making consistent efforts to protect the national interest and to ensure safe conditions for shipping and unhindered access to international markets. This was stated by Prime Minister Rumen Radev during today's meeting with representatives of the National Association of Grain Producers, which took place at the Council of Ministers. The Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski and the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev participated in it.
During the conversation, current problems facing the sector and the possibilities for finding working solutions that would facilitate the activities of agricultural producers and ensure more efficient transportation of agricultural produce to the markets were discussed.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of grain exports from Northwestern Bulgaria being transported by BDZ trains to our Black Sea ports. Currently, due to the low level of the Danube River, shipping is difficult and the produce has to reach the ports by trucks. This leads to additional costs for producers and burdens the road infrastructure.
The Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev assured agricultural producers that “BDZ – Freight Transport“ has the necessary capacity to ensure the transport of grain production to the Black Sea ports. Peev also introduced the representatives of the industry to the government's projects for large-scale development of the transport sector and the construction of more efficient transport corridors, especially along the North - South axis.
During the meeting, upcoming legislative changes related to the reform of land relations, the development of irrigation and the promotion of cooperation between agricultural producers were also discussed. Minister Abrovski was categorical that the government and the legislature are working in sync to find legal solutions to problems in the sector that have accumulated over years.
Minister Abrovski also indicated that next year's budget includes funds for the digitalization of all dams, which will allow their levels to be monitored in real time.
The National Association of Grain Producers thanked Prime Minister Radev for his position on the security of shipping in the Black Sea. Representatives of the industry also supported the need to maintain funds for the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy in the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union for the period 2028-2034. “Food security is of utmost importance for Bulgaria. We are doing everything possible to protect the interests of Bulgarian agricultural producers and to ensure conditions for the sustainable development of the sector“, Prime Minister Rumen Radev emphasized during the meeting.