Breadbasket

Representatives of farmers from the region of Thessaly in central Greece said Friday after a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that forcing them to abandon the cultivation of cotton would be a "red line" to them. 

On Monday Russia pulled out of an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite a wartime blockade, a deal seen as essential to keeping food flowing from Ukraine — a major breadbasket — to the wider world.

Across Ukraine, the war has forced grain growers into a vicious dilemma. Farmers in areas now free from Russian occupation are risking their lives to strip their land of explosives before the critical spring planting season.

The average price of agricultural land in Bulgaria rose 15.2% last year, reaching BGN 684 (EUR 342) per 1,000 square metres, the statistics office announced on Tuesday.

Rental prices per 1,000 sq m of agricultural land also rose, reaching BGN 41 (EUR 20.5) on average, an increase of 7.9% compared to 2013.