At the EU Agriculture Council meeting in Luxembourg on October 20-22, Bulgaria expects an authorization to compensate farmers for their draught-ruined wheat and barley crops by State aid, Bulgarian Deputy Agriculture and Food Supply Minister Dimiter Peichev told a meeting with farmers here on Wednesday.

If such an authorization is granted, payment of compensations may start straightway, BTA reports. Farmers are to receive 350 leva per hectare of field planted with wheat and 300 leva per hectare of land put under barley.

Enough financial resources have been allocated to compensate the farmers 100 per cent, and the regional agriculture services have registered the ruined crops. The planned state aid, including possible compensations for the maize and sunflower plantings destroyed by the draught, amounts to some 100 million leva, Peichev said.

Some 4,000 young farmers are expected to take advantage of the EU funds for a business start-up of their own, the Deputy Minister siad. Each farmer aged between 18 and 40, who registers for the first time as an agricultural producer, is entitled to a grant support of up to 25,000 euro. Young farmers who lack proper qualifications can attend a free 150-hour training course.