The deputy president of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” Alexandru Slusari anticipates that the farmers will also display their discontent with the current government after the carriers’ strike. Slusari said the agricultural sector was abandoned by the government, but the farmers sustain huge losses now that the fuel prices go up daily. He noted the restoration of excise duties on fuels could be a solution, IPN reports.

Alexandru Slusari said the farmers have been increasingly dissatisfied and this dissatisfaction can generate antigovernment protests. The rise in fuel prices and fertilizers and the lack of support from the state turn agriculture into an unprofitable sector.

“The farmers are very discontented. Not only once, they asked the government to restore excise duties, as the carriers did. In the European countries, the farmers do not pay excise duties. The excise duty on fuel is considered a luxury tax, but diesel fuel for farmers is not a luxury. It is a resource needed in agricultural production. The farmers are also dissatisfied with the higher prices of fertilizers and pesticides. The prices grew 3-4 times. The spare parts are another problem. Everything grew more expensive,” Alexandru Slusari stated in the talk show “The Fourth Estate” on N4 TV channel.

Slusari said the government’s inaction can make the farmers resort to protests and these will also put forward ultimate demands, as the carriers did.

“I talked to farmers with different political views. They are all dissatisfied. The farmers face many problems and I feel that their dissatisfaction is expanding threateningly. If there is no efficient dialogue with real solutions and the farmers are not heard, the discontent will only grow. The general moods are alarming and radical measures will be taken,” stated Alexandru Slusari.

On February 10, as a result of a meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development and of the Employers Association of Road Transport Operators, it was agreed that the tariff for interurban trips will most probably be raised to 0.70 lei per km, while that for inter-district trips to 0.80 lei. A final decision will be announced at the start of next week.