Deputy Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev has vowed new standards which will designate food products made of raw materials of Bulgarian origin.

Gechev presented the measure at a Tuesday meeting with agricultural producers from the southern Bulgarian village of Novo Selo, according to reports of investor.bg.

The new standards will only apply to food products made of raw materials of Bulgarian origin, and they will not replace but complement the existing norms.

The measure is part of the plans of the Bulgarian government to boost domestic production.

The standards are to help consumers tell apart Bulgarian products from the rest.

A week ago, Bulgarian fruit and vegetable producers launched protests due to the low purchase prices of their production.

They complained that a kilogram of tomatoes sold for BGN 0.20, which did not even cover the costs.

After that, the purchase price of tomatoes went up to BGN 0.50 per kg within a day.

Agricultural producers from Novo Selo explained the spike with the launch of mass inspections along the entire chain, including warehouses, chains of stores, and wholesale agricultural markets.

Farmers voiced worries that the measures would only prove temporary.

To alleviate their fears, Gechev vowed that trucks carrying agricultural products would be sealed at the border and the seal would be removed at the end destination during the entire active period.