We will request BGN 15 million from EU to support Bulgarian production of fruit and vegetables, announced Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Miroslav Naydenov at a meeting in Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The ministry has worked out a plan for aid’s allocation and will be filed for approval from the European Commission (EC) by the end of the month.
The money is part of the single payment scheme.After approval by the Commission we will know the exact amount of support, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Tsvetan Dimitrov.
Scheme is expected to operate since the beginning of the next year and the funds to be paid by the end of 2012. When applying for support farmers will have to declare areas and type of the production they manufacture. The aim of the scheme is to improve the quality of production in Bulgaria and tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, apples, cherries, peaches and apricots offered on the market for sale, announced George Ralchev, who is Head of “Plant growing” Department to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Certifying the quality of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, apples, cherries, peaches and apricots offered on the market will be carried out by Bulgarian Food Safety Agency inspectors, responsible for quality control.
Farmers must provide inspectors with access to the places where the preparation, preservation and trading of fruits and vegetables were made, as well as to vehicles that transport them to the market. It will be checked only produced products for the market before they enter the supply chain.