Farmers across the country have declared their readiness for effective protests due to a lack of irrigation water, reported BNR’s correspondent Veselina Milanova. The Bulgarian Agrarian Chamber has sent a letter demanding an urgent meeting with Premier Rosen Zhelyazkov and the Ministers of Energy, Environment and Water, and Agriculture and Food. The irrigation season is at risk of failure, despite the fact that Bulgaria has enough dams and water following the winter rains.

"The problem is that these dams have been drained uncontrollably throughout the entire winter season", says Ilia Prodanov, Co-chairman of the Bulgarian Agrarian Chamber. According to the farmers, the water from the reservoirs is being used for electricity production, despite the fact that the Water Act states that priority should be given to drinking water needs and irrigation. Farmers have been sounding the alarm about the problem of irrigation water shortages due to private interests since last year. The Bulgarian Agrarian Chamber urges the government to take measures to provide water for the production of Bulgarian agricultural products.