Sofia - Bulgarian farmers blocked border crossings and roads in the north and south of the country Wednesday, demanding higher prices for agricultural products, local media reported.

At Russe, the only bridge across the Danube along Bulgaria's border with Romania, was also blocked. The barricades were being briefly lifted once in every two hours to allow some of the waiting trucks passage to Romania.

To the east, at Vidin, police removed a human chain formed by protestors to end the blockade of a ferry across Danube and a roadblock was lifted on a road leading to Romania at Oryachovo, between Russe and Vidin.

The protest in the north was staged by the organization of dairy producers, who want extra government protection from the more powerful European Union competition. Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 as its poorest member.

Other farmers, including tobacco producers, protested the government agricultural policy in central and southern Bulgaria, also erecting roadblocks and preventing stopping the traffic on borders toward Greece. (dpa)