Climate change year after year affects the results in agriculture. Both the farmers and the authorities should be concerned about this. The National Farmers Federation of Moldova calls on the authorities to return to the soil protection measures specified in the first regulations concerning subsidization that were approved in 2008, IPN reports.

The Federation’s chairman Valeriu Cosarciuc, in the General Assembly of the National Farmers Federation, said not many farmers respect the soil conservation rules to retain moisture.

According to Valeriu Cosarciuc, the agricultural production last year was by about 2% lower than in 2018. It is regrettable that the imported agrifood products represent 20% of all the imports. Efforts should be made to substitute imports with local products and to create a market in Moldova.

The former minister of agriculture also said that the farmers plead for modifying the subsidization conditions. “We, the small farmers, account for about 25% of the value of subsidies, but statistics show that 68% of the global agricultural production is ensured by small producers, domestic households, farmers. Equity should be thus ensured,” stated Valeriu Cosarciuc.

Attending the meeting, Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Ion Perju said the Republic of Moldova has good land and good people, but the country loses these people and this is regrettable. As a result of the efforts to develop agriculture made during ten years, Moldova turned into a country that exports agricultural raw material instead of exporting finished products. The farmland loses value as the sowing regime is not respected and the areas of some of the crop fields are larger than allowed.