Bulgaria's agriculture sector is set to sustain through 2020 the robust growth it enjoyed in the last three-four years, finance minister Simeon Dyankov said.
The double-digit growth of Bulgaria's banking and construction sectors, which generated more than 40% of the rise in the country's GDP until 2008-2009, is not expected to return any time soon, according to Dyankov.
"There will be a shift towards new sectors with potential for growth. One such sector in Bulgaria is agriculture," Dyankov said in an interview for local business edition Capital Daily.
Despite the crisis, Bulgaria's agriculture sector grew by about 8.0% a year over the past three-four years and by 11% in 2012.
"This trend will continue until 2020 at least thanks to EU funds, which provide opportunities for long-term investment in land and perennial plants such as vines", said Dyankov, adding that tourism is another sector of Bulgaria's economy that is expected to grow rapidly in the following years.