Three groups of Bulgarian fruit, vegetable, greenhouse and nut growers have asked Prime Minister Rumen Radev to protect Bulgarian production, keep prices transparent and set up checks along the whole chain from farm to shelf. They made the request in a joint open letter received by BTA.

The Fruit and Vegetable Trade Chamber started the letter. The Bulgarian Association of Greenhouse Producers and the National Association of Nut Growers and Processors in Bulgaria back it.

The letter responds to a call by the Association for Modern Trade for retailers to be treated as critical infrastructure. The growers do not dispute that trade matters. But they do not want it to become grounds for privileges or for fewer checks by the Consumer Protection Commission, the Commission for Protection of Competition and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency.

Retail chains bring food to the consumer, but the three groups say they are only the last link in a process that begins on the farm. Full shelves and good logistics are not enough for food security if the country loses the ability to produce its own food, the authors write. They say food security needs viable Bulgarian farms and fair access to the market for their produce.

The groups ask the state for consistent checks and clarity on how prices are set. They also press for checks on food safety and origin, fair terms for producers, and changes to the law that would strengthen farmers' position.

A copy of the letter has gone to economy, investment and industry minister Alexander Pulev and to agriculture and food minister Plamen Abrovski. Yavor Gechev, chair of the parliament's committee on agriculture, food and forests, also receives it.