During a meeting with representatives of the greenhouse production sector, Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovsky stated: "Our ambition is to protect Bulgarian fruit and vegetable producers from unfair competition effectivelу". The discussions centered on ways to enhance the competitiveness of Bulgarian producers through legislative amendments, strengthened import controls, and measures to support the sector's activities. Deputy Ministers Prof. Krum Nedelkov and Yanislav Yanchev also attended the meeting.
Industry representatives emphasized the need for more effective controls on fruit and vegetable imports, restrictions on unfair competition, and improved conditions to foster domestic production. The agenda included discussions on implementing a reverse charge VAT mechanism, the necessity of a Law on Cooperatives and a Law on Branch Organizations, and streamlining land property regulations to facilitate greenhouse construction and development.
Minister Abrovsky affirmed that the government has been granted a full mandate to implement necessary reforms in the sector. He stressed that effective mechanisms would be sought to combat unfair trading practices. Additionally, he announced an upcoming meeting with the National Revenue Agency to discuss the potential introduction of a comparative analysis of agricultural product prices in relation to those in neighboring countries, aiming to improve market control and transparency.
The meeting also addressed challenges related to inter-company indebtedness within the sector and explored the establishment of a microcredit mechanism. This initiative is designed to help agricultural producers secure funds for essential operational costs, including seeds, fertilizers, and fuel. Finally, participants reviewed proposals to ease the water use regulations and discussed the application of geothermal energy in greenhouse production.