Will food remain affordable for Bulgarians?

This was the topic of a two-hour roundtable today in Sofia, organized by Andrey Velchev, chairman of the Association "For Affordable and Quality Food". The forum brought together politicians, representatives of state institutions, business, the academic community and consumer organizations. Representatives of large food chains were also invited for the purpose of constructive dialogue, but none of them responded to the invitation.

The discussion was attended by the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova, Dragomir Stoynev, chairman of the PG of "BSP - United Left", Kostadin Kostadinov, chairman of the PG of "Vazrazhdane", Maya Manolova from "Izpravi se.BG", prof. Dr. Nadya Mironova from the University of National and World Economy, representatives from the Thracian University, as well as representatives of consumer and agricultural organizations.

The event focused public attention on key issues related to access, quality and pricing of food products offered in Bulgaria. Possible legislative and regulatory measures to improve the situation in the sector and how to protect both the end consumer and local producers were also discussed.

Representatives of various political parties and organizations expressed their positions on the need for support for Bulgarian producers, the need for transparency in pricing and the importance of introducing regulations on trade markups.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms. Natalia Kiselova, stated that the quality of food is directly related to the quality of life and stressed the need for an objective and constructive debate on the topic. She called for discussion of specific legislative measures that would guarantee better regulation of the sector and effective control over the activities of retail chains.

Maya Manolova from Stand Up.BG is among the most active defenders of the right of people to receive quality and affordable food. She announced that the next boycott of retail chains will take place on Thursday, February 20. She also called for state intervention in the sector to ensure better protection for Bulgarian producers and consumers. According to her, the measures should include easier and more favorable access for local producers to the retail market, as well as greater transparency regarding pricing and markups in retail chains.

The chairman of the Vazrazhdane Labor Party, Kostadin Kostadinov, for his part, proposed the creation of agricultural markets without intermediaries and without fees, where only Bulgarian produce would be sold. He emphasized that resellers increase prices several times, and this is to the detriment of both producers and consumers. Kostadinov expressed hope that the legislative changes proposed by Vazrazhdane will receive support from the ruling majority.

Dragomir Stoynev, chairman of the BSP – United Left parliamentary group, has called for regulating food markups. He stressed that the dominant role of large retail chains leads to an uneven distribution of profits along the chain and that the lack of transparency in pricing is a serious problem. Stoynev announced that a roundtable with representatives of all political forces and retail chains will be held in parliament on Friday to seek a common solution to protect Bulgarian producers.

The discussion sparked a broad public and political consensus on the need for urgent and effective reforms in the sector. Representatives of various institutions and organizations united around the need for better control over retail chains, stimulating Bulgarian production and introducing greater transparency in pricing.