Low Danube: grain from the northwest to go by rail to Black Sea ports
Prime Minister Radev met grain producers. Transport Minister Peev assures that BDZ Cargo has enough capacity. All dams are also to be monitored digitally.
Symbolic image · Photo: HotMusicFan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Bulgaria's government is looking into transporting export grain from the north-west of the country to the Black Sea ports on freight trains of state railway BDZ. Prime Minister Rumen Radev discussed this on Friday at the Council of Ministers with the National Association of Grain Producers, BNT and bTV reported. Because of the low water level of the Danube, shipping is currently difficult and farmers have to truck their harvest to the ports. That drives up their costs and strains the roads. Transport Minister Georgi Peev assured that BDZ Cargo has the necessary capacity for these shipments. Whether the proposal has already been approved remained unclear.
"Bulgaria is doing everything possible to increase the security of shipping in the Black Sea," Radev said. Food security is of exceptional importance for the country, he added. Agriculture Minister Plamen Abrovski announced that next year's budget includes funds to digitise all dams and monitor their levels in real time. Laws on reforming land relations, irrigation and cooperation among farmers were also discussed. The association backed keeping cohesion and farm funding in the EU's 2028–2034 budget framework.