site.btaVazrazhdane Calls for Agriculture Minister’s Resignation amid Forestry Sector Crisis

The Vazrazhdane party on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov over allegedly poor management in the forestry sector. The call came after employees of state-owned forestry and hunting enterprises held a protest on July 14 demanding higher pay and better working conditions. Trade union leader Todor Kapitanov was arrested during the protest. He was released nearly three hours later, after being questioned at the police station in the southern village of Trud.

“It is high time to reconsider the continued presence of Agriculture Minister Georgi Tahov in the current cabinet,” Vazrazhdane MP Daniel Petrov stated from the parliamentary rostrum on Wednesday in a declaration addressing "the persistent trend of poor management in the forestry sector and the need for the Bulgarian government to assume political responsibility."

The declaration described the conduct of "the most politically affiliated union, CITUB", as hypocritical. Petrov pointed out that representatives of CITUB (the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria) had previously campaigned for Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone. "While doing so, they kept misleading people that the prices of basic goods and products remained unchanged – which is typical of the three percent deficit narrative – and now they claim they want a 15% salary increase for the forestry sector, as employees are barely coping," he added.

Petrov also noted that the financial condition of state forestry enterprises is, to put it mildly, dire. The total loss incurred by these enterprises in the first three months of 2025 amounted to BGN 7,668,000. Outstanding receivables total BGN 25,639,000. The number of employees in state forestry enterprises stands at nearly 8,000, while the recommended headcount is around 5,000, Petrov further stated.