We eat imported potatoes, they present them to us as Bulgarian

Published 2024년 10월 22일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the concerns of Todor Dzhikov, a former Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Bulgaria, regarding the deteriorating state of the country's agricultural sector, with a focus on potato production. He notes a significant decline in potato cultivation areas and growers since the country's admission to the EU in 2006, attributing it to the lack of strategic goals, policies, and oversight in agricultural investments. Dzhikov points out the challenges faced by the sector, including market access, cooperatives, and labor issues, which have resulted in a reliance on imports for potato production. Additionally, he addresses the broader issues of food self-sufficiency and the need for a strategic investment plan in essential crops. The article also touches on the broader problem of mislabeling of imported goods as local produce, misleading consumers and underscoring the need for improved traceability and control within the agricultural supply chain in Bulgaria.

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Original content

"In the third program period, more than 20 billion were provided for investments in our agriculture. But there are no concrete goals, no policies to achieve them, no control. In 2006, when we were on the eve of our admission to the EU, there were 260,000 acres of potato production areas with about 13,000 potato growers. Today's situation is 55,000 acres and no more than 2,500 potato growers, who are like a disappearing species," said former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Todor Dzhikov in the "Bulgaria morning" studio. . It is also part of the National Association of Potato Growers. According to him, the situation is particularly difficult in the mountainous and semi-mountainous regions. "There are also the tastiest potatoes - Koprivshtitsa, Samokov, Smolyan. As part of the official cabinet, we exposed extremely serious problems. They are the basis of restoring a production, basic products with which the Bulgarian can feed himself and is obliged to produce them, not to mention ...

Source: Dnes