site.btaBulgaria and China to Work to Accelerate Procedures for Import of Agricultural and Food Products into China

Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov participated in the opening ceremony of the  7th China-CEEC Cooperation Dialogue on Customs and Inspection and Quarantine in Ningbo, China on May 22, said the press centre of the line ministry on Thursday.

Tahov focused on the theme of this year's dialogue, "Smart Customs, Safe Agricultural Food, Sustainable Trade", indicating that initiatives in this direction create opportunities for accelerating customs procedures and increasing the security of international agricultural supply chains.

As part of his visit, Minister Tahov held a bilateral meeting with Deputy Minister and Member of the Committee of the Communist Party of China in the General Administration of Customs of China, Zhao Zenglian. The two discussed opportunities to accelerate specific procedures, including for the export of Bulgarian wheat, rapeseed meal, animal protein feed and wild-caught fish products.

Deputy Minister Zhao assured Minister Tahov that the issues raised by the Bulgarian side would be resolved as a matter of priority in a short time. He indicated the responsible officials from his team for each of the priority procedures.

Tahov informed that the joint work between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the General Administration of Customs of China continues actively: out of 39 procedures launched, 11 have already been successfully finalized with signed protocols and bilaterally approved certificates.

At the end of the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Lozana Vasileva, together with Deputy Minister Zhao, signed a Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of Saffron from Bulgaria to China, which marks another successful step in the process of opening the Chinese market for Bulgarian products.

Later in the day, Minister Tahov inaugurated the new location of the Liaison Office and the Permanent Pavilion of the Association for Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the  Association as a platform for deepening trade relations and cooperation between CEE countries and China in the field of agriculture and food. Currently, the  Association’s permanent pavilion displays samples of goods from companies from Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and Hungary.

As part of the 4th China-CEEC Expo and International Consumer Goods Fair, which is being held in Ningbo (May 22-25, 2025), the Association for Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and Central and CEE Countries is participating with a stand, where 12 companies from Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia are exhibiting their products.