Bulgarian Producers Ever Keener on Organic and Agri-environmental Farming Thanks to Priority EU Grants

Sofia, May 5 (BTA) - Most farmers are rather reluctant and timid
to try their hand at organic farming. The reason is a popular
misconception that plant protection chemicals and fertilizers
are entirely banned there. In reality, there is a list of such
products that can be used on certified organic farms in
transition, Association of Agri-environmental Farmers President
Plamen Dragnev said in a BTA interview.

On the other hand, agri-environmental farming attracts keen
interest and an increasing number of farmers are expected to go
into it in the coming years, considering that both the new
EU-financed Rural Development Programme and the National
Strategy prioritize it. Most agricultural producers first apply
for agri-environmental measures and only then switch to organic
horticulture or stockbreeding, the interviewee says.

As little as 10-15 per cent of agricultural land in Bulgaria is
used for organic and agri-environmental farming at this stage,
Dragnev says. Organic farming in this country is concentrated in
oil-bearing and perennial crops and accounts for a tiny 1-2 per
cent of the output because these are specific products, most of
which are exported and are almost not marketed at home.

In the perennials department, organic farmers grow mostly
walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and other kernel crops which do not
require plant protection chemicals and fertilizers. There is
also a growing interest in raspberries and other common local
plants, the expert points out.

Organic stock-breeding in Bulgaria produces mostly cow's and
buffalo's milk, cheese and meat from freely grazing ruminants.
Not all producers in this country that publicize themselves as
organic are certified for organic production. They rather assume
that, once they raise their herds on inaccessible pastures and
meadows in high-mountain areas, they guarantee the organic
quality of their produce, Dragnev explains.

Asked whether all organic-labeled produce in the Bulgarian
market is reliably controlled, the interviewee said that the
control is exercised by licensed firms which conduct on-site
inspections, check the documents and are fully responsible for
the legitimacy of the production and its strict compliance with
regulations.

Labelling must be identical in all EU Member States, including
Bulgaria, and the number of the organic production certificate
must figure on it. Quite a few products, mostly cucumbers,
tomatoes and other vegetables, are already identically labelled
here as in the rest of the EU. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency
is the responsible authority in this respect.

The Association is lobbying the State to provide legislative
guarantees for the use of identical land tracts for organic
farming within unchanged geographical boundaries during a
five-year period since the farmers assume the agri-environmental
obligation, so that they could meet this express eligibility
condition for EU grants under the new Rural Development
Programme. The problem is that most owners lease their land to
farmers under one-year contracts. Unless this issue is
addressed, Bulgaria risks losing the EU funding for these
measures, Dragnev warns.