The unpaid subsidies to the Bulgarian milk producers would be provided between December 1 and 15, according to the Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Valery Tsvetanov.

Tsvetanov spoke on Wednesday at a special press conference organized to address the mass rallies staged by the milk producers in downtown Sofia.

The Deputy Agriculture Minister, Svetla Bachvarova explained at the press conference that the farmers were going to receive EUR 22 per ton of milk, according to the monthly quota determined for each separate farm. An average farm with 100 cows would receive a BGN 17,000 in subsidies.

The protesting milk producers organized on Wednesday a mass rally in front of the Agriculture Ministry in the capital, holding a coffin with a sign, which read "Bulgarian Farming". The rally had as a main goal a meeting with representatives of the three-way ruling coalition to discuss the future of the sector in Bulgaria and the subsidies, which the frmers have not received since March of 2008.

The protesters demanded that the Agriculture Minister comes out of the building to talk to them. After numerous ultimatums, Tsvetanov sent his spokesperson with an offer to admit 10 of their representatives, which sparked the protesters' fury.

As a response, the milk producers blocked the central Hristo Botev boulevard for an hour, creating a huge traffic congestion in downtown Sofia and clashes with police. The police arrested the farmers' leader Andrian Tsakonski and dispersed the protesters by force in order to free traffic.

Over the past months milk producers in Bulgaria have staged numerous protest over unpaid subsidies and against the government policy in the sector.

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