The farmers are coming out for a massive and, in their words, “unprecedented” protest on Thursday, November 23 at 11 am. The reason – unfulfilled promises from the state to support the sector.
“The situation is catastrophic. On Thursday, you will see, perhaps, as many people as there have never been before,” said the chairman of the National Union of Cattle Breeders in Bulgaria (NSGB), Dimitar Zorov.
The chairman of the United Bulgarian Livestock Breeders (UBH) Boyko Sinapov commented that the situation is getting worse and the Minister of Agriculture Kiril Vatev has not managed to defend the demands of the farmers.
He announced that they were demanding the “resignation of Minister Vatev”. Sinapov addressed GERB and DPS and stated: “Everything that he undertook as a commitment was not done by Minister Vatev”, he is categorical.
The Chairperson of the Association of Buffalo Breeders in Bulgaria (ABB) Maria Stepancheva pointed out: “I am outraged by the behavior of a minister, to insult the army working people, to call them greedy”. She commented that in an interview on one of the national television stations, Vatev used manipulation and his information was false. “These funds she is talking about were accounted for under an investment project that was approved two and a half years ago and is now being accounted for, the funds are for 2021 and 2022,” she explained.
Stepancheva announced that the national aid rates are 35% down compared to the previous program period.
“Vatev is trying in every way to prove that we get a lot of money and we are fine,” she said. According to her, the Minister of Agriculture, Kiril Vatev, should take his place and help the sector.
“Nothing from the memorandum has been implemented. He has put on the rose-colored glasses and thinks that everything is okay”, says Stepancheva. She also addressed the Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov. “Mr. Denkov, don’t close your eyes to the problems of this sector. We expect you to schedule a meeting to tell the problems of dairy farming”, she urged.
The chairman of the National Association of Greenhouse Producers (NAOP) Velin Georgiev commented that 90% of greenhouse costs are energy. “With these two wars, the winter will be even harder. Now is the moment we are looking for from the minister to ensure the gas, to ensure that our workers can work. As they put Minister Vatev, so they can find him another job. DPS and GERB should join hands and appoint a specialist”, he urged. Georgiev also turned to Vatev and urged him to accept the organizations.
“Borisov, stand like a man, and you, Mrs. Taneva, who is the chairman of the committee on agriculture, make an urgent crisis plan to get out of this situation, because our next measures that we will have to take is to hang before your political offices”, said the chairman of the Union of Livestock Breeders in Bulgaria, Penka Hristova.
“We have no other option. We have reached such a low level with the Ministry of Agriculture that we have to start counting our money on every single farm,” she added.
“We are addressing the first political party and the DPS. We are already asking for shots. Mr. Borisov, I am asking you as a man, get a grip on Desislava Taneva and do something about it, because we are selling off farms after farms,” she complained.
The chairman of the National Union of Cattle Breeders in Bulgaria (NSGB) Dimitar Zorov commented that the workers do not care where they work, they want to be paid. “They are draining us of blood and taking our workers”, he is categorical. According to him, Finance Minister Asen Vassilev will wonder how to tie his budget next year when companies close and there will be no one to pay taxes. “We urge you not to destroy production. The two parties – GERB and DPS – should intervene, free us from this agony and fulfill everything written in the memorandum,” he added.
Source tribune.bg
