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It is necessary that a national consensus on the priorities in agriculture is achieved in a wide debate beyond the format of executive power and parliament only. This was made clear by the Minister of Agriculture and Foods Dr. Miroslav Naydenov at the Council meeting for regional development and national infrastructure at the President Rosen Plevneliev. The theme of the Council was "The national priorities in the agricultural policy of the Republic of Bulgaria until 2020". According to the Minister this Presidential debate was very ‘timely’ as there are currently ongoing discussions for the next programme period of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Minister underlined 40% of the budget of the European Union is typically allocated to CAP and therefore it is important that this are not reduced as it relates to matters such as global food security. He added that in reports from the UN and the World Food and Agriculture Organization FAO a "code red" has been declared in this regard.

The agricultural sector can be seen as a locomotive for the Bulgarian economy. Bulgaria should take advantage of all the natural riches it disposes of - land, forests and water, continued Minister Naydenov. He said there is a great demand for Bulgarian agricultural products, especially in the Arab world, where there is a nostalgia for our lambs and chickens. The minister pointed out that the main problem for the continuing development of horticulture, agriculture and stock-breeding is the lack of manpower. According to him there is a need for a policy that should integrate minorities and consequently direct these to agriculture, as there is a great potential for employment in this sector in particular. If we have a consensus and a national strategy on this issue and also take advantage of what nature gives us, we are doomed to succeed, explicitly stated Minister Naydenov.


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