site.btaFarmers across Bulgaria Submit 5,000+ Compensation Claims after April Frosts

A total of 5,033 compensation claims for frost damage have been submitted by farmers across the country after the cold weather spell in April. The total area covered by the applications covers over 300,000 acres, Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Kapitanov told journalists. On Monday, he took part in the inspection of some of the frost-hit orchards. The inspection was also attended by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Yanislav Yanchev, the director of the Directorate of Crop Production at the Ministry of Agriculture Petar Kirovski, MP Hristo Terziyski, the deputy governor of Kyustendil Georgi Dzhoglev, the deputy mayor of Kyustendil Nikolay Dochev, the directors of the regional offices of Agriculture and State Fund Agriculture, a committee of experts. 

One-third of the checks in the areas for which applications have been submitted have already been carried out, Kapitanov said. He reminded that compensations will be given only for areas in good agricultural condition where the crops were damaged entirely.

"A check is also being carried out on the current state of the orchards and whether all the necessary agrotechnical measures have been observed," Kapitanov added. A second check is also planned, when it will be determined whether there is fruit in the orchards.

"These are funds from the state budget and we are obliged to make sure as much as possible that the rules have been followed. To assist only those who are fully affected. After the second checks, the data will go into a register of permanent crops, which has not been done so far, the deputy minister added.

The aim is that under the interventions and measures that the state provides through various support schemes, it should support those who are carrying out real and farming activities according to all standards, and not others queuing up for subsidies, taking from the aid that should go to the farmers who are supporting themselves in this way by following the rules, the ministry added.

More than 600 applications have been submitted for the Kyustendil district, and 219 for the Kyustendil region alone. The general trend is that in the region the damage is almost 100%.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Yanislav Yanchev added that within the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund Bulgaria offers coupled support for fruit growers. There has already been communication with the European Commission to say what can be done since fruit growers have no way of proving the quantities of produce that have been determined. 

In September, there will be a clear indication of the total support budget for the affected areas throughout the country.