26.09.2015 / 10th Agro-Trade & Economic Cooperation Forum between China and CEE

“Bulgaria is the focal point of in the cooperation between China and the Central and East Europe in the field of agriculture”, announced Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Vasil Grudev at the 10th Agro-Trade & Economic Cooperation Forum between China and Central and Eastern Europe. Further he added that the successful activity of the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and Central and East European Counties (APACCCEEC), which started its operations in Bulgaria on June, 26 2015, would help for the establishment of business contacts between companies from CEE and China, as well as for the realization of real deals, finding business partners and investment opportunities. “The single database at the Association is an efficient tool for searching and finding actual investment projects and appropriate business partners, producers and traders from all the fields of the agricultural sector,” he commented.

“The traditionally good cooperation between Bulgaria and China leads to constant increase of the agricultural production import into China”, said Grudev. ”For the first time in 2014 we had a positive trade balance with agricultural and food products, estimated at more than USD 17 billion. This is due mostly to the increasing export of grain crops”. According to him, Bulgarian agriculture has the potential to satisfy the growing interest of China to Bulgarian wines, dairy products, rose oil, honey and other bio products.

The forum was attended by Vasil Gelev, Executive Director of APACCCEEC. Later today in the presence of Deputy Minister Grudev he will host the first Consultative Board meeting of the Association.