Over 32,000 hectares of agricultural land in the country have been damaged by hail this year. This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Georgi Tahov in the program “From the Day” on BNT. According to him, the serious damage requires a rethinking of the approach of agricultural producers to insuring their production.
"We have over 5,000 applications with 32,000 hectares of land that have been damaged by hail. This is a precedent. The regional commissions have been fully organized and prepared," said Minister Tahov.
He reported that there was significant rainfall in the region of Elin Pelin and Dragoman. The hail was small, which is why it was not necessary to activate hail protection. According to him, there is no registered damage to agricultural production there.
The minister explained that this year's cherry harvest was seriously affected by the frosts in the spring, which is the main reason for the high prices. "We lost the cherries this year because of the cold. There are a lot of losses in fruit crops. Climate change is also to blame", explained Tahov.
As a solution to the problem, he pointed to insurance, emphasizing that the ministry covers a significant part of the costs. "It is very important to think about insuring our agricultural production. This is an additional guarantee of profitability. We cover 70% of the insurance value," he added.
In response to a question about compensation, Minister Tahov assured that the compensatory payments will be paid as quickly as possible. "I guarantee that the moment all the information comes, we will do everything possible to pay this compensatory payment", the minister said.
The ministry reports a twofold increase in interest in insurance this year. Under the insurance intervention, part of the risk management package, 1,172 applications for over 277 thousand hectares have been submitted.
Georgi Tahov assured that the Agency for Combating Hail is fully equipped, both financially and in terms of personnel. It is planned to build another 25 new missile sites for hail protection, but their location will also take into account the air corridors for aircraft flights.
According to experts, the increase in the frequency of extreme weather events related to climate change will require a rethinking of strategies for protecting agricultural production in the future.