The Ministry of Agriculture is developing a programme for collection centres for fruit and vegetables, Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev said at the opening of the hunting season in Chelopechene.

“We want to encourage association and cooperation among producers, so the smallest and the biggest of them can have equal access to the market,” he said. “In these collection centres their produce will be given quality ratings, calibrated, packaged and will meet the highest market standards. This is the only way that the smallest producers will be able to reach big supermarkets,” Minister Vatev said, and added that more and more farmers have been giving up stockbreeding and fruit and vegetable growing, and have been leaving the country.