Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Farmers protest 300% increase in irrigation water price

Photo: БНР - Шумен

Raspberry and strawberry growers took to protest near the village of Trapishte, Razgrad district, northeastern Bulgaria. For about an hour they blocked the main road Razgrad - Targovishte. The reason for their dissatisfaction is the drastic increase in the price of irrigation water announced by the state-owned company Irrigation Systems
Irrigation water for the 2023 season is more than 300% more expensive. "We don't want free water, we don't want gifts from the state, we want to pay for everything, but within reasonable limits. This is a drastic increase," Bozhidar Petkov, chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Raspberry Growers, told BNR. 
He explained that with this increase in the price of water, raspberries and strawberries will become unsellable. A week ago, Deputy Agriculture Minister Todor Dzhikov told BNR that the state would cover the price difference between this year and 2022. According to Petkov, however, the situation remains unchanged.
The state cannot immediately provide funds to compensate fruit and vegetable growers for the drastic increase in the price of irrigation water, as it needs approval from Brussels, Minister Yavor Gechev said.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The week starts with hot weather and precipitation in some places

On Monday before noon it will be mostly sunny, but later clouds will form and in the western and mountainous regions rainfalls are expected. The highest temperatures will be between 29° and 34°C; higher in the southeastern regions...

published on 6/8/25 6:05 PM

Rumen Radev says the government should stop lying about BOTAŞ

The government is neither fully using this contract to satisfy domestic consumption, nor selling to third parties through its capacity, nor renegotiating, President Rumen Radev told journalists in response to a question from BNR..

published on 6/8/25 3:16 PM

Protest of Vazrazhdane party in support of the Bulgarian lev

Citizens gathered in the so-called triangle of power in Sofia, demanding the resignation of the government and keeping the Bulgarian lev, BNR reporters Nikolay Hristov and Svetoslava Kuzmanova informed. The protest was organized by..

published on 6/8/25 2:35 PM