Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister Plamen Abrovski said the government's "Care Basket" initiative has already helped lower consumer prices, describing the program as "an absolute success" and predicting that its impact will become more visible in the coming months.
"Realistically speaking, the 'Care Basket' is an absolute success and it will become apparent in the coming months," Abrovski said in an interview with Nova TV on Monday. He argued that the initiative would become particularly relevant when people return from their summer holidays and begin shopping for the new school year.
According to Abrovski, the initiative has attracted significant interest from major retail chains. It initially involved eight chains but has since expanded to 14, which he cited as evidence that retailers see value in the program.
"Because we started with eight chains, it became 14. If there was no interest, it is unlikely that so many retail chains would have joined," he said.
The minister also pointed to recent statistics showing a decline in consumer prices. He said that "last week, statistics came out that prices for consumers have gone down seriously," while acknowledging that part of the decrease is linked to the seasonal increase in the supply of fruits and vegetables.
