Sofia, November 16 (BTA) - Bulgaria supports the request for urgent EU exceptional measures in the pigmeat sector. Producers are in an exceedingly difficult market situation in view of the impact of restrictions related to African swine fever, higher fodder costs COVID requirements, as well as over-supply on European markets, caretaker Agriculture, Food and Forestry Deputy Minister Georgi Sabev said at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, his ministry said in a press release Tuesday.

The greatest year-on-year spike of 34.6 per cent in grain corn price in Bulgaria was registered in January-September 2021, followed by fodder wheat with 18.7 per cent and barley with 5.4 per cent.

At the meeting, Subev addressed the problem of the considerable increase of production costs in agriculture, particularly for fuel and electricity. In the second quarter of 2021 the prices of electricity and fuel used in Bulgarian agriculture rose by 18.5 per cent year-on-year. Forecasts indicate an even greater growth in the second half of the year and , the Deputy Minister underscored, adding this would inevitably weight on producers.

The farm to fork strategy was also on the agenda of the meeting. The requirements to European producers should also be applicable to the imports of products, particularly agricultural and fishery products from third countries, to avoid placing European producers in the position of unfair competition, Sabev said.

The procedure on the adoption of the strategic plans under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was also discussed.

Bulgaria's main concern is that the timeframe for passage of delegated acts and the acts for implementation of the regulations, and the need to incorporate their provisions in the strategic plans will hardly allow it to meet the deadline for submission of January 1, 2022. PP/BR