Bulgarian Grain Producer: We Eat Bread from Low-Quality Ukrainian Wheat Infected with Carcinogenic Pathogens

Society | October 28, 2022, Friday // 09:31
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Grain Producer: We Eat Bread from Low-Quality Ukrainian Wheat Infected with Carcinogenic Pathogens @Pixabay

Bulgarian consumers consume bread produced from extremely low-quality Ukrainian grain contaminated with carcinogenic pathogens. Allegedly, the grain from Ukraine only had to pass through Bulgaria in transit and go to final destinations in needy and poor countries, and thousands of tons of it entered Bulgaria and never left. This explains why many Bulgarian grain producers, who grow wheat with extremely high nutritional qualities, are already on the verge of bankruptcy, and their goods remain unsold in warehouses.

Radoslav Hristov, former chairman of the National Association of Grain Producers, said this in an interview with BGNES. He cultivates 8 thousand acres and grows wheat and sunflower. The reason for the conversation is the Agreement on the export of grain from Ukraine, concluded in July between Russia, Ukraine and the UN with the help of Turkey, which should expire in a few days. Whether it will be continued is not yet clear.

A few days ago, the period under the charter for the movement of Ukrainian grain through Bulgaria was extended until 2024. Perhaps they are aware that the war will not end at all by then”, commented Hristov. The import of grain from Ukraine has a terrible impact on the prices of wheat in our country, whose prices are going down because of the cheap supply of the imported commodity in Bulgaria. The situation is very difficult, because when selling the high-quality Bulgarian wheat, known for its rich nutritional qualities, the producers will be at an absolute loss.

It is scandalous that a few days ago, at a meeting of the Consultative Council on Grain, Bulgarian grain producers brought a sample of wheat imported from Ukraine. "All state authorities have seen the conclusion of the independent laboratory that examined the grain. The conclusion of the sample is that the wheat is ‘unfit for use’, it is infected with microtoxins, and there is additional contamination from fertilizers prohibited for use in the EU", announced Hristov. When asked where this grain goes, which is imported to our country, he answered: "nobody knows."

The idea of ​​the transport corridors was that Ukrainian grain, if it passed through Durankulak, would go to Varna or Burgas, and go to Tunisia, Algeria or other countries in dire need. "However, alas, it enters Bulgaria and gets lost here, it simply disappears. It doesn't leave the country."

“We all eat bread from this low-quality grain infected with carcinogenic pathogens”, Hristov said. “These questions have been put to the Grain Advisory Council many times, but so far they have not seen the light of day for the general public”, adds the expert.

The laboratory sample, which confirmed that the Ukrainian grain is unfit for use, was also confirmed by another one made by the state laboratory of the Bulgarian Food Agency. The BABH sample, taken personally by the agency's employees, also does not see the light of day outside the meeting of the Advisory Council, claims Hristov. "The Bulgarian user and consumer of supposedly Bulgarian bread should know what is happening. I'm not saying that all Ukrainian grain is infected and unfit, but a large part is."

Members of the Association of grain producers in Burgas also make their own laboratory samples of grain imported from Ukraine and unloaded in Burgas grain depots. The samples were taken back in July, and they show the same thing: Ukrainian grain contains carcinogenic pathogens, residues of fertilizers banned in the EU, and its nutritional composition is extremely unsatisfactory in quality.

The same applies to the import of sunflowers from Ukraine. "Sunflowers are imported and remain in our country. In Bulgaria, it is processed, then the companies export it wherever they want - one part in Greece, one remains in Bulgaria, and the other goes in bulk to Rotterdam," explains Hristov.

Laboratory samples were also made for the sunflower from Ukraine. "We are selling a sunflower crop harvested two years ago. After the first year of harvest, the sunflower begins to acidify and its quality drops significantly, in fact it becomes almost unfit for consumption. And until that day, Ukraine exported only old crops. We eat this oil, you understand," commented Hristov.

And he asks: why, after the sunflower was traded for BGN 2, the oil from BGN 3 became BGN 6. However, the price of sunflower has been BGN 1 for several months now. Why then is the oil still at a price of BGN 6, asks Hristov. "I explain it by the fact that someone is currently making such huge profits that you can't even imagine on what scale," commented the expert. Due to the low-quality Ukrainian production, tons of high-quality Bulgarian sunflower are also lying in the warehouses.

Compared to last year, the price of agricultural fertilizers has increased by more than 500%. "I can't afford to sell super-quality wheat for 60 cents. Even so in warehouses, wheat still has its costs: for workers' wages, for fuel, for insurance, for loans related to production," said the grain producer and adds that fertilizers, seeds and consumables will have to be ordered in the spring. "There is a program for the development of rural areas, but it does not work at all for farmers," commented Hristov.

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