Bulgaria’s Ministry of Agriculture is helping to implement the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, which aims to provide farmers with a reasonable standard of living, to ensure high quality food and good prices for consumers, and to preserve rural heritage and environment.
Dr. Miroslav Naydenov, Minister of Agriculture, explains that current priorities for his ministry include implementing the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and Bulgaria’s National Strategy Plan for Fisheries and Aquaculture as well as the SAPARD programme to provide financing for agriculture and rural development. “Finally, we are seeing growth in the field of organic farming, which we feel is very important for Bulgaria,” he explains.
The Minister of Agriculture is also repairing the damage to the reputation of Bulgaria’s agriculture sector caused by corruption in the previous government, which led to an EU freeze on funding. Dr. Miroslav Naydenov says, “There were many issues of corruption with the former government, and things were not done transparently. Many representatives from the previous government, including from this ministry, are currently being prosecuted. Now there is a new government, with multilingual, energetic ministers, many of whom come from the private sector. We are results oriented.” The minister recently sacked a number of agriculture officials for illegal practices.
Vast expanses of fertile farmland
Bulgaria’s agriculture sector has significant potential and has grown even during the global economic downturn, providing many opportunities for foreign investors. The minister says, “Much of Bulgaria’s territory is covered by very fertile farmland, and we also have extensive forests with a very diverse ecology. Bulgaria produces unique bacteria found in much of the world’s yoghurt, and we also have very high quality honey. Bulgarian wine makes up 2% of the world’s market share, and is also of very high quality.”
Bulgaria’s agriculture sector needs modernisation and investment to make the most of its potential, the minister points out. He says, “We need modern equipment to make our farms more competitive and efficient. This will also lead to lower prices.”
The Minister of Agriculture urges European investors to seek out projects in Bulgaria. He concludes, “Bulgaria has a lot of opportunities, and many of these lie within the agricultural sector. There are opportunities in wine and beer production, food processing, fisheries, and organic farming. We have a great diversity of nature, great resources, and high quality products. Bulgaria will continue to fight to become more transparent and open.”
