Bulgaria and China will strengthen cooperation and trade in agricultural and food products. This became clear during a meeting between the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Kiril Vatev, and the Deputy Director of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mr. Qi Jala, at the Ministry of Agriculture. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Tanya Georgieva, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Mr. Dong Xiaojun attended the meeting.
"Our bilateral relations have always been good, I believe that our partnership in the Agriculture sector will continue to deepen and develop," Minister Vatev said. The two countries emphasized the important role of the Center for the Promotion of Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which was established in 2015 in Sofia.
Deputy Minister Georgieva underscored that the Centre carries out an active activity and connects various businesses between China and CEE. The Centre undertakes various initiatives related to attracting young farmers and entrepreneurs, transfer of knowledge, implementation of innovative projects in agriculture, circular and bio economy, irrigation, as well as solutions for handling food waste, she specified.
The Chinese side noted the good results in bilateral cooperation in various fields, particularly in agriculture, and described Bulgaria as a leading country in the agricultural cooperation between China and CEE. According to Mr. Qi Jala, good results have been observed in the cooperation between Bulgaria and China in various fields in recent years, especially fruitful in the field of agriculture. "Bulgaria is a leading country in agricultural cooperation between China and CEE," he said.
Deputy Minister explained that since 2014, the European policy in the field of agriculture has been working on its green practices at a significant pace. From this year, the targets and commitments given to farmers across the EU are very ambitious. Farmers are expected to make a major contribution to achieving the general goals of reducing greenhouse emissions, the use of plant protection products and antimicrobials. Chinese delegation expressed the desire to exchange experience in agriculture and EU practices.
“Moving to a higher level in agriculture is related not only to ensuring food security, but for natural resources and people's health, too. We are facing numerous challenges at the national level for the implementation of new methods in the field of primary production and processing," Deputy Minister Georgieva emphasized.