By KYIV. Oct 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Agricultural Ministers of Ukraine and Bulgaria Mykola Solsky and Kiril Vatev discussed the prospects for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products, in particular, the details of introducing a licensing mechanism for certain types of agricultural products within a meeting of the EU Council on Agriculture and Fisheries (AgriFish), which is being held in Luxembourg on October 23-24, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported.
According to the Bulgarian minister, the Bulgarian government is preparing proposals for the introduction of a licensing procedure. In particular, the possibility of licensing sunflower is being considered. The Bulgarian minister assured his Ukrainian colleague of assistance to the Ukrainian agricultural sector.
The ministers agreed to coordinate the situation regarding the timing of the start of exports according to the new rules and the list of types of agricultural products.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria, in turn, reported that Ukraine had expressed its readiness to fulfill all the conditions that Bulgaria requests regarding the conditions for the export of Ukrainian grain and other goods. The Bulgarian Agrarian Ministry clarified that negotiations to clarify the date and conditions for approval of export licenses are ongoing.
“We expect Ukraine to introduce a licensing regime for certain goods as soon as possible as a measure to prevent distortions in the agricultural market in the five frontline EU member states,” Vatev said during an EU Council of Ministers debate.
The Bulgarian minister also emphasized that in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine for more than a year and a half, Bulgaria fears that the emerging conflict in the Middle East could lead to additional pressure on European agricultural markets and affect prices on world markets.
