Coordinated Institutional Attack Against the Independent Agricultural Business of Pavel Stoimenov

A massive inspection by 10 state institutions blocked the work at the farm of bread wheat producer Pavel Stoimenov in the heat of the harvest campaign, revealing severe suspicions of political repression and conflict of interest.

Blocking the Workflow During Harvest

During the critical agricultural period of harvesting crops, Pavel Stoimenov's farm is subjected to a simultaneous audit by 10 different state bodies. The inspections are carried out by the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, the State Fund "Agriculture", the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW), and the fire safety services. The institutions' actions were initiated based on an anonymous tip submitted to a platform in Pleven, with inspectors always accompanied by police patrols.

Ivelin Mihaylov and Pavel Stoimenov categorically state that the presence of police aims to create a stigma before the local population and frighten the workers. When law enforcement officers begin questioning employees, their families pressure them to leave their jobs, leading to an acute shortage of personnel in the sector. The massive convergence of inspecting bodies completely paralyzes the normal workflow in the field, as management is forced to cater to administrative demands instead of directing the harvest.

Representatives of the regional administration admit that the inspections were coordinated in advance at a special working meeting with the new regional governor, who personally authorized them despite the anonymous nature of the tip. The entrepreneurs express outrage at the lack of basic coordination between the separate units and the inappropriate attire of some of the civil servants, who appeared on the field in shorts.

Political Umbrella and Conflict of Interest in Local Government

The main reason for the massive pressure is rooted in personal conflicts and attempts to destroy competition by representatives of local authorities. The mayors of several settlements, including Apostol Apostolov in Simitli and Lachezar Yakov in Gulyantsi, develop their own agricultural activities through fronts, their wives, or their sons. These circumstances create a direct conflict of interest, where municipal authorities use the state apparatus as a tool to settle scores and squeeze independent businesses that refuse to participate in corrupt schemes.

The attack against Stoimenov began after his conflict with the mayor of Simitli, who subsequently sought assistance from high-ranking political figures, with Delyan Peevski personally ordering all state institutions to crush the rebellious farmer's business. This political umbrella ensures complete impunity for the mayors' actions and turns administrative checks into an instrument of daily state terror. The entrepreneurs emphasize that these same politicians publicly call the Bulgarian people a rabble that must be crushed, and exert direct physical pressure on their opponents, including chasing them with SUVs during elections.

Municipal councilors who win public contracts are also actively involved in the schemes. In Gulyantsi municipality, a local councilor won a project to build a seven-kilometer water pipeline worth a massive 7 million BGN, but the facility was poorly constructed and lacked the mandatory bedding. The same representative of the local government used threats to force the secretary of the local community center to transfer arable land to him, which had been legally managed by Stoimenov for two decades.

Double Standards in the Enforcement of the Law

Clear proof of targeted state repression is the drastic double standard that institutions apply in carrying out their oversight.

These examples categorically prove that the state machine serves specific oligarchic interests instead of working for the effective compliance with the law and environmental protection. Police resources are used to exert pressure on legal businesses, while law enforcement authorities refuse to take action against criminal elements. In parallel, the state takes out huge foreign loans of over 3.8 billion euros, but refuses to provide adequate funds to support social groups such as mothers.

Economic Consequences and the Future of Agriculture

The constant political and institutional pressure inflicts extremely severe damage on the Bulgarian economy and literally drives away independent investors. Pavel Stoimenov remains one of the few native producers of quality bread wheat, as growing it brings up to 40% lower profit compared to the mass production of feed for European markets. Instead of receiving the necessary state support to ensure quality food, the entrepreneur was forced to export his commercial storage bases and mills to neighboring Greece, where the business environment is predictable and secure.

The destruction of such independent enterprises inevitably leads to an acute shortage of native produce, a drastic rise in the prices of basic vegetables, and a real risk that the Bulgarian population will consume mainly low-quality food and animal feed. The situation is further aggravated by the lack of adequate irrigation systems at the national level, while neighboring countries like Romania effectively use the waters of the Danube River to irrigate 30 million decares of agricultural land.

Despite the unprecedented institutional attacks, unfair competition, and attempts at physical intimidation, the farm continues to develop modern and soil-friendly technologies. The enterprise stubbornly accepts young agronomy students for internships, providing them with free accommodation and food, in a desperate attempt to preserve Bulgarian agriculture, love for the land, and respect for honest work.