Bulgaria demands tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian grain: protecting its own farmers

Bulgaria has joined the European Union countries demanding tariffs and quotas on imports of Ukrainian grain, which is actively entering European markets after the lifting of restrictions. This is reported by euractiv.de.

The Ministry of Agriculture of Bulgaria emphasizes the significant difficulties of local farmers due to the growth of Ukrainian exports, which leads to the inability to compete on price with Ukrainian products.

Bulgaria has significant production capacities for refined and unrefined sunflower oil and biodiesel, making it one of the leading EU countries in these sectors. However, in the area of sunflower seeds for its own needs, Bulgaria finds it difficult to compete with Ukrainian prices.

The Ministry of Agriculture warns that the current situation may lead to a decline in domestic production, which threatens the country's food security in the long run.

Bulgaria calls on the European Commission to take measures to protect the markets of neighboring EU member states from Ukrainian exports to allow them to use their own export potential.

Further negotiations on the possible introduction of tariff quotas on the most sensitive agricultural products to protect markets are scheduled for spring 2024.

It is noted that Ukrainian grain is characterized by high quality, confirmed by the Bulgarian health authorities in 2023. In particular, sunflower seeds from Ukraine have a higher oil content than Bulgarian ones.