The Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the National Revenue Agency (NRA) have agreed on enhanced oversight for all imports of agricultural produce. The agreement was reached during a working meeting between Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski and the Executive Director of the revenue agency, Boris Mihaylov. The discussions were also attended by Deputy Ministers Yanislav Yanchev and Prof. Dr. Krum Nedelkov, as well as the Deputy Executive Director of the NRA, Zoya Gabrovska, and experts from the agency.
Minister Abrovski drew attention to reports from producers regarding discrepancies in transaction values, where the price on the invoice in the country of origin differs from the one declared upon entry into Bulgaria. As a specific example, the import of grapes from Greece was cited, where produce is purchased at a lower price but declared at a higher one. "This must be investigated. We want to know what is actually happening in the market and to tighten control. Our goal is to have the capacity to react as early as the start of the next season and the first imports in March," he emphasized.
Boris Mihaylov confirmed that controls on the transport of goods with high fiscal risk have been significantly stepped up. NRA inspections cover heavy goods vehicles and smaller vans not only at the border with Greece but in a wider scope. "When inspecting imports from EU member states, the NRA checks tax documents, invoices, documents accompanying the goods, and more. If necessary, confirmation from the tax administration of the respective country will also be requested," Mihaylov explained, noting that the two administrations are successfully exchanging information.
During the meeting, the idea of mandatorily introducing fiscal devices for registered farmers conducting commercial activities was also discussed. The goal is to prevent the use of agricultural registration as a cover for commercial operations, while simultaneously ensuring that producers retain their right to sell their produce in the field without the use of a cash register.
To ensure more effective oversight, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food will provide the NRA with reports on farmers, including data on claimed areas and subsidies received. The departments will conduct analyses of registered farmers who do not have actual declared areas, as there is suspicion that they are operating as traders while bypassing requirements for reporting sales.
In the context of import control, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) announced in early August that as a result of intensified veterinary and phytosanitary checks, including the implementation of emergency measures for food and feed shipments of non-animal origin, 35 shipments containing over 150 tons of goods originating from third countries have been denied entry into the country.