site.btaWithout Crisis Funding, Bulgarian Farmers Face Choice Between Low Yields and High Prices, Caretaker Agriculture Minister Hristanov Says

Speaking during the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg, Bulgarian caretaker Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Hristanov warned that without crisis funding, Bulgarian farmers are effectively forced into a choice between low yields and high prices, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.

Hristanov said that one of the main challenges for EU producers is the rising cost of fertilizers and fuels following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. In Bulgaria, diesel fuel prices increased by around 37% between February and early April, while mineral fertilizers rose by approximately 30%. This coincides with the spring sowing season, driving up production costs and worsening the competitiveness of Bulgarian farmers.

The minister also drew attention to the dairy market, where the domestic milk purchase price has fallen to EUR 0.27 despite rising costs. Bulgaria believes that the full set of instruments under the Common Market Organisation should be used, including the agricultural reserve and measures for temporary voluntary production reduction.

The Bulgarian position is that unused funds under Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) interventions and programmes should be available for emergency support in times of crisis, including shocks in production costs. Hristanov stressed that activation and disbursement of such measures must be swift.

Regarding the future parameters of the CAP, the Minister said that degressive reduction in support should not harm competitiveness. He argued that the proposed thresholds are too low and could negatively affect small and medium-sized farmers, who are essential for food security and the vitality of rural areas. He also highlighted the need for full external convergence of direct payments.

Hristanov additionally addressed sustainable forest management, calling for practices that reduce the accumulation of flammable materials, including extensive grazing livestock systems, agroforestry approaches, mosaic landscapes, and active vegetation management. According to Bulgaria, wildfire prevention requires an integrated, preventive, and territorially targeted approach involving local communities.