Financial harm caused to the Bulgarian vegetable producers due to the E. coli outbreak is estimated at a total of EUR 2, 562,747 (BGN 5,012,222). Producers will be compensated in two directions. The first one is for those, who have withdrawn produced and unrealized vegetables from the market, while the second – for non-harvested crop.
Loss from withdrawn production is estimated at EUR 2,556,270 (BGN 4,999,554), while from the non-harvested crop – EUR 6,477 (BGN 12,688).
A total of 96 vegetable producers have submitted applications for compensations. The largest number of applications has been submitted in Plovdiv District – 30 applications. In Regional Directorate of Blagoevgrad to State Fund “Agriculture” 25 candidates have applied for compensation and from Region of Pazardzhik their number is 16.
The compensations are provided for by a EU regulation for emergency measures to support fruit and vegetable farmers in the community.
They are designed to offset loss of profit from any amounts of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers and zucchini for fresh consumption, that have remained unsold in the wake of the E.coli outbreak..
According to the quantities and areas, which our country has reported, as well as on data submitted by the rest of the Member States, European Commission will decide whether to apply a reduction coefficient to the assistance for all Member States, if requested funds exceeded the total estimated budget of EUR 210 million.