A regular meeting of the Business Council was held in the Agro-food industry
On 11.03.2023 at 11:00 a.m. in the town of Smolyan, a regular meeting of the Business Council was held in the Agri-food sector in the border regions of Blagoevgrad, Haskovo, Kardjali and Smolyan, and the activity was carried out under the project "Business Council - BC 6275 ” financed by the INTERREG V/A GREECE-BULGARIA 2014-2020 program, Subsidy contract No. B6.3a.18/13.04.2021.
There were five representatives of the sector from the border regions of Haskovo, Kardzhali, Blagoevgrad and Smolyan. The hall for holding the meeting was secured technically, being equipped - multimedia, portable computer, printer, as well as information boards, banner and presentation materials, according to the requirements of the Communication and Publicity Guide of the Interreg V/A Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020 program . In addition, disinfectants were provided, as well as water, coffee and tea to ensure the event's coffee break.
The moderator of the event welcomed all those present and started the event by making a short presentation of the Regulations for the work of the BS in the Agro-food sector.
The main topic of the free discussion was the problems that potato growers have had in recent years. Due to global warming and climate change, potatoes have been suffering for the last few years. Since potato production is one of the few profitable economic activities and is also traditional in the region, the trend is extremely disturbing.
A member of the council expressed his opinion that it is necessary for the state to take more serious actions to support and protect the sector, which is of great importance for the region.
Another problem that worries farmers is the realization of the production. Attendees raised the topic of farmers' markets where producers can directly present their produce. Together with local authorities, they could work to create conditions for the regulation of markets and the extraction of benefits from them, both for the producers themselves and for the development of the local economy.
The council decided together with the project management team to take their ideas to local government representatives.
