Grain for export from north-west Bulgaria could reach Black Sea ports by train, using the state railway BDZ. Prime minister Rumen Radev and the National Association of Grain Producers discussed the idea today at a meeting in the Council of Ministers, the government said.
Grain now travels by lorry because low water on the Danube makes shipping difficult. That raises costs for growers and puts more traffic on the roads.
Agriculture and food minister Plamen Abrovski and transport and communications minister Georgi Peev also took part. Peev told the growers that BDZ – Freight can carry grain to the Black Sea ports. He also presented the government's plans to develop transport and build more efficient routes, with a focus on the north-south corridor.
Radev also spoke about safe shipping in the Black Sea. "Bulgaria is doing everything it can to make shipping in the Black Sea safer," the prime minister said. He said the government has consistently defended the national interest and is seeking safe shipping and free access to international markets.
"Food security is of exceptional importance for Bulgaria," Radev said. He said the state is doing all it can to protect Bulgarian farmers and to create conditions for sustainable development of the sector. The grain producers thanked him for the government's position on shipping safety in the Black Sea.
The talks covered the sector's current problems and practical solutions for them, as well as coming changes to the law: a reform of land relations, development of irrigation and encouragement of co-operation among farmers.
Abrovski said the government and parliament are working together to find legal solutions to problems that have built up in the sector over the years. He added that next year's budget includes money to digitise all dams, and their water levels will be tracked in real time.
The grain producers spoke in favour of keeping funds under the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy in the EU's 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.