Bulgarian grain growers resume protests because of cheap Ukrainian grain, which is imported into the country without duties.
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Previous protests took place at the end of March. This time the blockade of border crossings with the help of heavy agricultural machinery will be synchronized with the Romanian grain producers.
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“The start time is 10:00, and our actions are coordinated with our Romanian colleagues, they will be on the other side of the border,” said Ilia Prodanov, head of the grain producers’ association.
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As expected, the protests in the city of Rousse and in the village of Kardam will last four hours.
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According to Prodanov, there are currently 3.5 million tons of Bulgarian wheat and 1 million tons of Bulgarian sunflower in the warehouses. Producers in northern Bulgaria are complaining that truckloads of Ukrainian grain have become even more intense since last week’s protests.
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“If today’s protest is not heard in Brussels, we will think about larger actions with the participation of other countries that share the same opinion,” Prodanov added.
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At the end of March, the prime ministers of a number of EU countries turned to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with a request to intervene in the crisis caused by the influx of grain from Ukraine. The letter from the Prime Ministers of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia noted that “the problems are associated with a significant increase in the supply of Ukrainian products to the markets of EU member states, especially those bordering Ukraine or located next to it”, in particular, “an unprecedented growth imports of cereals, oilseeds, eggs, poultry, sugar, apple juice, berries, apples, flour, honey and pasta“.
