Grain growers ready to protest if irrigation money not provided

The draft budget is causing concern among grain producers. They are preparing for another protest if their demands are not met in the state budget.

The agricultural sector is calling for funding to be allocated for irrigation in future budgets.

"We are asking that the 2025 budget include an initial payment under the so-called crisis reserve, which should be opened by the European Commission. What can be financed by the state budget should include funds for an irrigation project that requires 1.2 billion BGN," explained Radostina Zhekova, Chair of the Dobrudzha Union of Grain Producers.

Zhekova highlighted that the sector has been raising these demands for years without receiving adequate support.

"There has been no funding for irrigation in Bulgaria for the past 30 years. We cannot engage in agriculture without irrigation. None of what we are asking for is being addressed. Since yesterday, the entire industry has been outraged by the way the situation is being manipulated. The pitting of the agriculture sector—those of us who produce bread, meat, milk, fruits, and vegetables—against the future of Bulgaria—our children—is the most disgraceful thing that has happened," Zhekova added.