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NTG participated in a round table on organic farming in the Eastern Rhodopes
The coordinator on organic farming in the "New Thracian Gold" (NTG) Vladislav Popov made a presentation on the achievements of the project in the Eastern Rhodopes at a round table "Organic farming in Bulgaria and experience in the Eastern Rhodopes", which took place within the European Environment Festival "Green wave - 21st Century "on September 28 in Kardzhali.
Assoc. prof. Popov stressed that due to the active work of NTG currently in the Eastern Rhodopes there are two model organic farms (in the villages of Topolovo and Gorno pole, Municipality of Madzharovo), a total of 34 farmers are in transition or certified to organic production, and 17 producers / processors were compensated with 50% of their annual certification fees. Thanks to the support of the project in Ivaylovgrad will be built processing unit for organic sesame. This model should be used in the municipality of Kardzhali as weel, said assoc. prof. Popov.
Nelly Valeva, an expert in "Organic Farming" in MAF said that organic farming will be a priority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union in the programming period 2014 – 2020. There will be green payments that will be 30% of the money for direct payments. There will be a separate measure called "Organic Farming". Despite the crisis in the country the organic farming has increased and there are good conditions for development, said Valeva. At the end of 2011 there are registered 1,054 producers, processors and traders of organic products. They grow wheat, barley, rye, rose oil, nuts, apples, plums and apricots.
Recommendation, of the experts at the roundtable was for small farmers in Kardzhali to unite in associations so they can apply for funding under the European organic farming projects.
