Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute – tradition and quality near the town of General Toshevo

The Institute is a structure-defining unit within the system of the Agricultural Academy. In its capacity as a leader in Bulgarian agricultural science, it continues to demonstrate its strong commitment and responsibility to the cause of national plant breeding – the successful development of crop production under conditions of strong competition, brought about by a large-scale cross-border invasion.

In addition to building on what has already been achieved, the scientific team also copes with many other challenges. Exploratory visionary activity is part of the characteristics of the toolkit for achieving outstanding scientific results. Furthermore, its mission – to defend the positions and interests of Bulgarian plant breeding – is well defined.

This team, regardless of its modest financial resources, regardless of chronic underfunding, every day, every year sends clear signals, conveys strong messages and provides evidence that Bulgarian breeding of

cereal crops, sunflower and grain legumes is not a glorious past with a predetermined end. Bulgarian genetics is a key factor for the sustainable development of our national agriculture in an uncertain climatic and phytosanitary environment.

This team proves every day, every year that it is a correct and loyal partner, providing real support to Bulgarian farmers – with its high professional capacity and expertise, with its scientific competences. With its creative talent and energetic drive it continues to create innovations, to breed adaptive, resilient, high-yielding varieties and hybrids, to generate added value, to create new dynamics, to outline new prospects for technological breakthroughs in the field.

In the current issue of the journal „Plant Protection“ we present various aspects of the work and future creative plans of the Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute near the town of General Toshevo. With the clear understanding that the DAI near the town of General Toshevo is a highly valuable national asset, part of the treasury of our agrarian scientific community. An asset which, to our great regret, continues to leak through the „rare“ fingers of state short-sightedness and lack of foresight, most often justified by the framework imposed by the EU. Such justifications sound rather naive and are a clumsy attempt to conceal the indifference and legislative powerlessness, on the one hand, of the Ministry of Agriculture, on the other – of the successive governments over the last 30 years, and thirdly of the political class. Because state protections in Romania, Hungary and Poland (also part of the EU) for the protection and support of national agricultural sciences overcome in a remarkable way the imaginary EU framework which for us remains insurmountable.