Bulgaria is planning to create a register of fruit and vegetable traders and will track the importers' goods from the border to the counter. It will be checked whether the importer has a stock and whether the imports are sold at a fair or low price.
The database will be linked to the National Revenue Agency, the Customs Agency and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency.
"The goal is to know more about what we consume and about the origin of those commodities. I have been informed by producers from Petrich and Sandanski about imports at low prices from Greece," said the Deputy Minister. "In Greece, this same model is applied, so no Bulgarian producer can sell freely in Thessaloniki. We are planning the same for our country," he said.
As a result of these measures, Marinov predicts that only regulated imports will remain on the market.
"The goal is not to ban fruit and vegetable trade, but to regulate, so we can better know what we consume. It's a form of protection for domestic fruit and vegetables. The objective is for trade to be carried out with clear rules and traceability," said the Deputy Minister.
The European fresh fruit formula is also being applied. Thus, the product has to be harvested not earlier than 24 hours before delivery at the store, and the distance covered cannot exceed 150 km. "With this, we believe that we will significantly support Bulgarian producers, and we should already see some results by September," said Marinov.
