Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Transport Address Damages and Provide Relief Strategies
The Bulgarian government has announced measures to support farmers in insuring their crops against adverse weather conditions, offering partial compensation for insurance premiums. This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Georgi Tahov, during a visit to the Nova Zagora municipality, alongside the Minister of Transport and Communications, Georgi Gvozdeikov. The ministers met with the mayor, Galya Zaharieva, as part of the government’s task force working to address the aftermath of recent hailstorms across the country.
Minister Tahov elaborated on the assistance program, which covers insurance for fruits, vegetables, essential oil crops, tobacco, cereals, and oilseed crops. “The maximum support covers up to 70% of the insurance premium for fruits, vegetables, essential oil crops, and tobacco, and up to 50% for cereals and oilseed crops,” he explained.
The minister also noted that the application period for this aid continues until July 31, 2024. “So far, we have received three times more applications compared to the same period last year,” he added.
Preliminary data indicates that approximately 4,600 hectares in the regions of Karanovo, Bryastovo, Korten, Sadiysko Pole, Konyovo, Omartchevo, Sudievo, Ezere, Polsko Padarevo, Pitovo, and the town of Nova Zagora have been affected. The extent of the damage will be assessed based on farmers’ applications and subsequent inspections. “Every farmer can take advantage of state aid to compensate for crop damages caused by adverse weather conditions. Support is provided for areas with 100% crop loss and covers up to 80% of actual costs,” Minister Tahov emphasized, ensuring that compensations will be processed swiftly.
Accompanying Minister Tahov was the Executive Director of the Executive Agency for Hail Suppression, Engineer Valeri Tsenov. He reported that over 1,100 rockets were fired from the agency’s rocket sites in southern and northern Bulgaria over the past two days. The storm cloud responsible for the recent hail started in the Dragoman area, moved to Botevgrad, and then eastward along the Balkan Mountains, where it could not be treated by aerial methods. “From the northernmost sites of the regional directorate in the village of Tazha, Stara Zagora, the cloud was treated with rockets to minimize damage. Despite these efforts, the cloud entered the Sliven region near Nova Zagora,” Tsenov detailed. A total of 196 rockets were fired at the cloud from 19 launch sites in the villages of Tazha, Stara Zagora, and Staro Selo, Sliven. In response to ongoing storms and hail on the same day, nearly 900 rockets were fired in just seven hours. Since the start of the active hail suppression season on April 10, 9,990 rockets have been fired, compared to 5,500 rockets during the same period last year.
Minister Tahov also announced a comprehensive inspection of the Executive Agency for Hail Suppression by the Inspectorate and Internal Audit directorates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. “If any irregularities regarding the availability and types of rockets, as well as their effectiveness, are found, the results will be made public,” he assured.
The meeting was attended by the Governor of Sliven, Chavdar Bozhurski, the Director of the Sliven Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Todor Bratanov, mayors from the region, and local farmers. Later, Minister Tahov visited the fields in the village of Ezere to inspect the hail damage on the crops.
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