Government and retailers reach consensus on local produce decree

Bulgaria’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Dessislava Taneva gave a briefing at the Council of Ministers on April 15. It also included representatives of retail chains.

With the Council of Ministers, we held a conference meeting with industry organizations, farmers, dairy farmers, livestock farmers, regarding the Council of Ministers' decree on regional products supply in retail chains, Taneva said.

The briefing was held after the Bulgarian government on April 13 issued a decree requiring the large supermarket chains to offer on their shelves Bulgarian products made by local producers. The aim was to reduce the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on food producers in the country.

The decree also requires that sufficient space should be allocated at the premises of the retailers and the products should be displayed in a manner that clearly indicates that the products were made locally.

The large retail chains in the country on April 14 protested the decree. They came out with a common position in which they considered the decree to be not workable.

Speaking at the briefing today, Desislava Taneva noted that some operators have been working consistently on this principle for 1-2 years, and “the current crisis is forcing us to take measures to minimize damage from shrinking markets, reduce food waste, and help producers and related operators survive, “ she said.

We remain open to discuss, to be moderators. We know the sector, so that everything will be for the benefit of consumers, the agriculture minister added.

Milena Dragiyska, Managing Director of Lidl Bulgaria, said they have agreed on working measures, and there is an understanding of helping the Bulgarian producers in a meaningful way. Her message on behalf of retail chains was that in crisis situations, maximum channels should be opened to resolve the crisis. They have also put forward measures to offer better channels in order to present the products of small producers.

Yordan Mateev of the Bulgarian Association for Modern Trade said that the good-quality Bulgarian production will continue to be on the shelves. The choice is for the Bulgarian consumer, so we appeal to the consumers to choose the Bulgarian one, this is a wise decision.

Georgi Gurnevski from METRO said that the best arrangements now need to be found for the benefit of the entire community. He thanked the government as dialogue could find the best solutions for local direct deliveries.

Minister Taneva said it was good to continue the measures beyond the state of emergency, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food ready to cooperate with the producers' registers.

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