Sunflower oil producers in Bulgaria are preparing for protests due to shortages of sunflower seeds for processing. They blame farmers and the government for the lack of smooth supplies.
There is a shortage of sunflower seeds in Bulgaria, which is why sunflower oil producers have threatened protests, reports Bourgas.ru. The shortages are said to be the result of the suspension of imports from Ukraine.
In Bulgaria, first, as a result of agricultural protests, a ban was introduced on the import of sunflower seeds from Ukraine, and then the government decided on a licensing system. However, Kiev is no longer so determined to provide Bulgaria with supplies of cheap raw materials, because Ukraine has significantly developed its own processing industry and has already sold the surpluses.
Demand exceeds production
The oil industry in Bulgaria, which previously opposed the import ban, is now concerned about maintaining the smooth supply of sunflower seeds.
-We need a constant flow of sunflower seeds because the production capacity we have is twice as large as domestic production, explains Yani Yanev, chairman of the Union of Vegetable Oil and Cream Producers in Bulgaria, in the Bulgarian media. -We are protesting against the policy of restricting free trade and against the policy directed against the interests of farmers – said the union representative.
90 percent for export
According to the oil industry, the supply of new raw material for production from Ukraine is practically non-existent. Minimal amounts of sunflower are imported from Moldova and Romania. So far, 90 percent Bulgarian oil production was intended for export. On the domestic market, after falling for 1.5 years, the price of sunflower oil is rising again.
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