Agriculture Ministry

Turkey produces some of the best quality cotton in the world, but its production volume has been declining, said the head of the Home Textiles Industry and Business Association (TES?AD) in a written statement. 

"Turkey produces one of the world's highest quality cotton. Our cotton production must increase up to 4 million tons by 2023," said TES?AD head Ya?ar Küçükçal?k. 

If negotiations between Ankara and the European Union were not frozen due to the France-Germany-Greek Cyprus trio, by now Turkey would have had an integrated border management system. Currently from the Coast Guard to the gendarmerie, from the Agriculture Ministry to the Customs Ministry, nearly a dozen state institutions have a say on the borders.

Bulgaria's Agriculture Ministry has confirmed that the country will remain free from cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops.

The position has been stated in 10 letters of notification to the the European Commission to ensure that no GM products would be grown in Bulgaria, the ministry said in a statement.

Wildfires have burned down 952 hectares of forest in Bulgaria in the first 14 days of August, a sharp increase over the same period of 2013 when the weather was also hot and dry, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday.

Some 316 hectares burnt to ashes in the same period of 2013, the ministry said in a statement.

Meat prices in Turkey have begun spiraling upward, with the state-run Meat and Milk Board (ESK) being forced to import high amounts of meat amid promises of further purchases despite reaction from private businesses. 

The ESK launched a tender to buy 3,200 tons of frozen meat on Aug. 5, announcing that the purchases would continue until the Feast of Sacrifice on Sept. 24.

The Bulgarian government established a centre for encouraging cooperation in the area of agriculture between China and the countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Bulgaria has not been granted an extension of the deadline to use the money granted under the Rural Development Program 2007-2013, meaning that ongoing projects financed under the program should be wrapped up by end-September, according to Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva.

The existing moratorium on timber exports remains in place until the adoption of a set of amendments to the Forest Act, according to Bulgaria's Deputy Agriculture Minister Georgi Kostov.

The 3-month moratorium, which was introduced by Bulgaria's government so as to pave the way for the adoption of legal amendments targeting illegal logging, expired on Tuesday.

Rumen Porozhanov, CEO of Bulgaria's State Fund Agriculture, has described the completion of the 2007-2013 Rural Development Program as a real challenge.

In a Sunday interview for the Bulgarian National Radio he made clear that projects would be received by the SFA Paying Agency by October 15.

He made clear that the SFA would then have three months to make the payments.

Bulgarian businesses are expected to save BGN 144.5 M a year as a result of anti-red tape measures envisaged in the 3rd action plan for administrative burden reduction by 30% by end-2017.

The action plan was adopted by the Bulgarian government on Wednesday.