A sum of 10.8 million lei of the 12 million lei earmarked in the 2010 state budget for cultivating new land and increasing soil fertility will be used to combat soil erosion and carry out hydromelioration works, while 3.26 million lei will go to remove the multiannual crops, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a Government decision. Vasile Grama, director general of the Agency for Land Relations and Cadaster, said 600 hectares of land will be reclaimed and cultivated, while 217 hectares will be used for production. There will be set up seven ponds that will be 37 hectares in area. They will protect the settlements from floods and will be used to irrigate 370 hectares of land. 550 hectares of farmland will be protected this year from erosion, while 530 hectares – from floods. 10 kilometers of riverbed and 4 kilometers of drainage channels will be cleaned. Vasile Grama said the amounts allocated from budget for the purposes are insufficient to solve all the problems faced by Moldova. Over 70,000 hectares of fields of multiannual crops are not cultivated.