The development of agriculture in Bulgaria is closely linked to the work of scientists which helps farmers. During the celebration of the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the Fruit Growing Institute in Plovdiv, Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the caretaker government Todor Djikov stated that the Bulgarian scientific community has made a significant contribution to the development of fruit-growing in Europe.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture supports the work of the Fruit Growing Institute and expressed the hope that the successful cooperation will continue in future so as to assist the development of agriculture. In the words of Deputy Minister Djikov, one of the problems the country faces is the depopulation of rural, mountain and semi-mountainous areas, which account for 44% of the country’s territory. “Agriculture is what can slow down the depopulation rate, and even reverse the tendency,” Deputy Minister Djikov said.