Аgricultural sector: agriculture on promises

Given that nearly 60 percent of the population of the European Union live in rural areas, which cover about 90 percent of the territory of evroobshtnostta policy for rural development and agriculture is of vital importance for Europe. Agriculture and forestry are the main types of land use in rural areas and as such play an important role in rural communities as a basis for their economy.

After two waves of EU enlargement in 2004 and 2007 the total number of farmers in the 27 States of the Union exceeds 15 million, and agricultural land – 185 million hectares.
Agriculture in our country, in line with the EU, is also essential to industry, especially for rural areas of Bulgaria, so far as providing income to more than 1.4 million people employed in temporary or permanent. According to the latest data of National Statistical Institute (NSI) during the first quarter of this year employed in agricultural sector of the economy are 17.3 percent of the total number of employed persons, as observed „spillover“ of the capacity of industry to agriculture and services .
Along with the food industry, agricultural sector generates about 25 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) of Bulgaria.
The share of agriculture and forestry in total income generated in the economy in recent years, however, decreased from 18.8% in 1998 to 10.9 percent in 2004 and 4 percent in the first quarter of 2009 as NSI data show. Reducing the share of Agriculture and Forestry in gross value added (GVA) is mainly due to the slow and unstable growth in the sector, which is the result of the slow process of restructuring, or too rapid pace of development of the national economy in recent years before the crisis .
Despite the reported importance of agriculture, it sets a high risk business, which, combined with low profitability, due partly to mostly small and medium size farms, do not stimulate the sustainable development of this type of activity.
With our entry into the European Community, as well as the impact of global financial and economic crisis on the home economy, outlined some common problems and trends in the agricultural sector. Bulgaria had to adapt the administrative structures responsible for agriculture, according to European requirements, to start as soon as possible processes of land to farm merger, and they should be modernized to meet the European standards and new challenges. In the event of crisis, however, that disproportionately burden significantly. Difficult to finance current activities of the farmers who suffer from severe freezing lending, slowing the subsidies account for irregularities in the documentation and the lack of own funds and permanent problems due to the state surcharge. Further tensions in the sector caused by razroyavaneto dozens of trade organizations that protect the interests of individuals or small groups, but not by the individual producers of branches of agriculture.
Given the above, can identify the following issues in Bulgarian agriculture, which must be resolved as soon as possible:
access to finance
-improving the administrative machinery and the removal of contradictions in the normative acts regulating the activities of farmers on the one hand, and the activities of the administration, on the other, achieving greater transparency in the work of the administrative structures
-change and adapt to a number of legislative acts
-komasatsiya
-upgrade
response to climate change
-limitation of the informal economy in agriculture
-drafting and putting into operation of identification system for animals with a view to authorization by the European Commission for the payment of subsidies to the head
more sophisticated system for registration of agricultural land in order to avoid duplication
-achievement of equality of Bulgarian farmers with farmers of the old EU member states
-balance of imports of traditional products in Bulgaria and support for local production
-construction of an adequate system of trade organizations and their inclusion in the development of national agricultural policy
-construction of infrastructure in rural areas of the country.
That outlined problems of the Bulgarian agriculture require serious work and implementation of a number of cardinal reforms in this – in terms of the agricultural crisis in Europe and the emerging trend of reduction of direct subsidies, which was proposed by the future Swedish Presidency of the EU.
The first time, in view of the crisis and its impact on long term real sector, emphasis should be placed on access to finance, transparency and adequacy of the administration komasatsiyata, modernization of farms, legislative change, and systems for identification and registration of arable areas and pastures. Even the work of the next government to focus mainly on these issues, the reforms should be implemented quickly and with verve, to implement changes within a mandate to proceed to the next level – the formation of quality and competitiveness of Bulgarian agriculture economy.
In this case, the traditional „agricultural oriented“ BSP and the MRF considerably lagging behind blue coalition on ideas for changes in the near future, and systematization of the problems and their hierarchy. It is also its most comprehensive sector reform program in agriculture, but it is debatable whether it is possible to be prepared really to 100 percent for a full term because of the complexity of its tasks.
Much of the proposals across all platforms we sound too general, the seats are even vague, do not carry any message. In addition, fuzzy set policy objectives, oriented in the distant future, the most important and urgent reforms remain little more away from their focus.
Common programs BSP, MRF, Emblem, Blue Coalition and Leader – New time protecting the incomes of farmers and ensuring access to finance in terms of crisis, achieve equality in the EU, the balance of imports of traditional products in Bulgaria and support traditional and strategic sectors, creating an effective system for training and staff development for the sector, implementation of a program for rural development and „proper“ implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU and effective absorption of EU funds .
Although the latter is widely advocated as a measure antikrizisna and secure financial resources for Bulgarian farmers, Sapard case, lessons learned from it, the measures for monitoring of projects, transparency in the absorption of European funds, the fact that Brussels we observed more closely and how to reinstate the confidence of Europe, just absent.
In short-term goals and issues, such as the creation of a working system for animal identification, transparency, corruption and fraud, the elimination of some inconsistencies in legislation, are hardly on the agenda. Some extent, an exception to the rule of Emblem platform, which proposes the creation of a guarantee fund to support farmers and ensure the entry into operation of identification system for animals (not set a deadline for this) and the idea of Blue coalition to eliminate political appointments of administrative staff. NMS platform did not offer anything particularly concerning agriculture, but rather a peripheral sector reforms such as reducing the tax on the income of sole traders, some decisions ekosredata creation of Agency food safety. Such measures are included in the agenda of the Emblem.
It is clear that the above mentioned problems and impediments to the development of home agriculture political parties met on average about half of them. Despite an abundance of ideas and proposals, programs differ in general with the lack of konkretika on resolving the difficulties and the implementation of the reforms do not correspond exactly and clearly the question „How?“, Though well-defined and impediments to the development needs of the sector .
Not accounted for the impact of climate change on the Bulgarian agriculture – a topic so widely discussed in Europe lately. The problem of the agricultural infrastructure is not fixed as such. Surprisingly, it is reflected more fully in the program of party leader, aimed primarily at the industrial sector of the economy.
Clean Sweep of the agricultural legislation of contradictions and adapt it to new challenges is also omitted by the parties which are normally supported agriculture. They rather address the problems of the Bulgarian village as a whole and the implementation of the Program for Rural Development (PRSR), which is not inconsiderable problem of the impact of economic crisis on the poor rural regions throughout Europe. But do not guarantee the future of small and medium farmers and producers do not specify what conditions and opportunities for modernization and merge the farm will be designed to meet EU requirements and to maintain their livelihoods. Only marked the willingness of parties to assist more small farmers and rural areas lagging behind by applying PRSR.
Rescue of small and medium-sized farms can say it is-taboo topic of Bulgarian politicians. Avoid it, however, will not help to conciliation of the European Commission and the achievement of another extension activities to bring the farms in the European species. This becomes a real threat over half a million Bulgarians remain without sustenance.
Although agriculture is the sector, providing high traditional employment is not provided specific tools to maintain a livelihood for farmers and to limit abuses by the farmers in the workforce (the gray sector in agriculture), especially in the active season. The latter is a key issue not only for agriculture but for other branches vschiki. Outside the focus of policy remains and the involvement of young people to farming, certain risk social groups that could find their livelihoods in the face of agriculture, problems of uncultivated arable land, and the possibilities for its full absorption.
Bulgarian parties have very clear vision of the problems of the agricultural sector, but fleeing the concrete responses at the expense of defining goals and objectives and, in particular – promises. It is clear proevropeyskata orientation and willingness to assist the absorption of EU resources, but to achieve competitive Bulgarian agriculture as it is important to identify gaps in existing policy and to redirect efforts to first improve the environment, but only after that – to a grand reforms. For the achievement of equality of the Bulgarian farmers in the EU is not just membership, but also to meet certain standards by which we are still too far. This was partly caused by mudnite conflicting actions of the administration, so it is good overall agricultural reform to start with the bureaucratic machinery and legislation to address the ownership and udrebnyavaneto (instead of merge) of the world to catch up the delay in program development rural areas and to step change in the short term to ensure a more stable European resource, especially in conditions of economic crisis.