Bulgarians consume some of the finest food products in the EU, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture Yavor Getchev at the opening of a forum near the city of Varna.

Livestock, vegetables, perennials and the establishment of processing plants will be among Bulgarian agriculture priorities in the next programming period, Minister of Agriculture Dimitar Grekov announced.

“Over 80% of fruit and vegetables consumed in Bulgaria are imported, the same goes for the meat market,“ said the chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Agricultural Producers (BAAP) and former Minister of Agriculture Ventsislav Varbanov.

The association stated its position on the allocation of funds in the next programming period. Their demands include the application of measures concerning farm animal welfare through incentives for investors, as well as the construction of grain processing plants.

Currently Bulgaria is an exporter of cheap raw materials, according to Varbanov.

Some 500 attendees will take part in the three-day long Agricultural Producers Forum in Bulgaria's Golden Sands resort.