Subsidy Row Reignites in Bulgaria

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 06/12/2010

Bulgaria's government yesterday warned that if tobacco growers begin mass protests it might reconsider the question of whether or not it should grant them BGN116 million in state subsidies. On Wednesday, a group of tobacco growers had said that the BGN116 million would not be enough to subsidize their production and threatened mass protests and even hunger strikes if they did not get at least BGN170 million. The warning came from the chairperson of the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee, Desislava Taneva, who described the tobacco growers' demands for BGN170 million as absurd and, most likely, politically motivated. The Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Naydenov, meanwhile, asked the opposition to act with more responsibility by helping to prevent protests. The opposition Movement for Rights and Freedoms party denied being behind the farmers' discontent. It said the amount of BGN116 million was the maximum, but it added that the updated budget had not listed it specifically as funding to be given to tobacco growers. Enditem