Agriculture Ministry

A farmers market is open in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Sunday, bringing together 50 producers from across the country, officials have said.

Organized with the support of the Agriculture Ministry, it was opened by Deputy Minister Georgi Kostov at a special ceremony on Sunday, 11:00 local time.

Turkish Agriculture Minister Faruk Çelik has said the losses from Russian sanctions on Turkey's agricultural products are estimated to be around $764 million.

Any trade retaliation by Russia over Turkey's downing of a jet flying sorties in Syria would hurt Russian farmers more, Turkish Agriculture Minister Faruk Çelik said on Nov. 27, pointing to import-export figures.

Turkey has not yet received official notification of any embargo by Russia, Çelik also told reporters. 

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.