New Initiative to Safeguard Crops and Enhance Hail Protection Coverage
The Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food has launched a procedure to construct 24 new rocket platforms aimed at effective hail control and safeguarding agricultural production. This announcement was made by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Georgi Tahov, during a meeting with industry organizations at the Ministry’s headquarters. According to Minister Tahov, a comprehensive analysis conducted by the Executive Agency for Hail Suppression (IAHG) has led to plans for establishing platforms in currently unprotected areas. Seven new rocket platforms are planned for the Regional Directorate for Hail Suppression in Staro Selo, Sliven region, and four additional platforms for the Regional Directorate in Dolni Dabnik, Pleven region. Additionally, a full analysis has been commissioned to maximize the nationwide coverage of hail protection.
During the meeting, farmers discussed the damage to agricultural lands and greenhouses, as well as the reasons for uninsured areas. Participants explored the possibility of creating a consolidated payment mechanism to compensate producers in the event of force majeure circumstances. Minister Tahov noted that three times more applications have been submitted for the state aid scheme for agricultural production insurance compared to the same period last year. “Intensive work is ongoing to assess the damage based on the applications submitted by farmers,” said Minister Tahov.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Ivan Kapitanov, provided updates on meetings held with the Ministry of Transport and the Air Traffic Services Authority, where issues regarding limitations on airplane-based hail cloud processing were discussed.
Valeri Tsenov, Executive Director of the IAHG, presented data on climate change in Bulgaria and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. He highlighted that the total area protected by rocket-based hail suppression currently stands at 21,600 square kilometers in the most hail-prone regions of the country, including Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Pleven, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Sliven, and Haskovo. The agency operates 262 rocket platforms, and the quality of their anti-hail rockets has been confirmed in international laboratories.
Minister Tahov also provided an update on the progress of the 2024 Direct Payment Campaign. He announced that the button for completing applications in the Electronic Services System (ESS) of the State Fund “Agriculture” is active. To date, over 48,000 applications have been submitted, covering an area of 3.3 million hectares. The organization is in place to complete the campaign on time, which is crucial for the timely disbursement of funds to producers.
Error
