Who will control the grain market in Bulgaria

Following the adoption of the Law for the Closure of the National Grain Service (NGS), passed by the National Assembly on July 15, 2015, the control of this strategic crop was divided between the central administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the regional "Agriculture" directorates, and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency. This proposal recently appeared in the form of a draft Ordinance, submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food by Deputy Minister Tsvetan Dimitrov on October 16, 2015.

The draft Ordinance on the conditions and procedures for monitoring the grain market envisages the following key provisions:

• When a grain storage facility is used by more than one person, all users submit declarations for the warehouses they use.
• The capacity of the warehouses as the possible maximum quantity for wheat storage is determined by a measurement method, according to a methodology approved by the Minister of Agriculture and Food.
• Databases for grain storage facilities are maintained at the regional and national level.
• Following the creation of the unified electronic system, all declarations will be submitted through it.
• A declaration for available grain is submitted for each storage facility or warehouse, including when no grain was stored in it during the respective month.
• When a Regional Agriculture Directorate establishes that grain storage facilities or warehouses within them have not submitted declarations, it invites the users within a 3-day period to fulfill their obligation to submit a declaration. If the user does not fulfill their obligation, the director of the Regional Agriculture Directorate orders an on-site inspection of the facility or warehouses.
• A declaration for the quantity of grain produced and available on agricultural holdings is submitted by persons who produce grain on areas of 500 or more decares.
• The declaration for produced grain indicates the quantities cumulatively from the previous quarter or month, and for available grain - as of the moment of declaration.
• The Regional Agriculture Directorates check whether agricultural producers who have declared areas for grain production under Ordinance No. 5 or have registered such areas under Ordinance No. 3 have submitted declarations. If they have not, they are invited within a 3-day period to fulfill their obligation, after which an on-site inspection of the holding is ordered.
• The Regional Agriculture Directorates conduct on-site inspections based on quarterly schedules prepared by the specialized unit within the ministry, which together with the General Directorate "Agriculture and Regional Policy" controls their execution.
• Violation reports are not drawn up when the discrepancy is insignificant - the declared quantities and/or areas differ from the established ones by no more than 5%.
• Upon first detection of a violation, a report of findings with prescriptions is drawn up. If these are not fulfilled, a violation report is drawn up.
• During representative quality assessment of the harvested crop, quality assessment of a minimum of 35% of the produced grain crop for the respective region is guaranteed.
• The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency prepares reports on the quality of the crops and submits them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food within the specified deadlines.

The Ordinance will be issued on the basis of Art. 58c, para. 1 of the Law on the Application of the Common Organization of the Markets in Agricultural Products of the European Union.

Source: MAF