The farmers protesting in the Great National Assembly Square of Chisinau took their tractors away on December 30. The decision was taken as a result of the discussion they had with President Maia Sandu one day earlier, IPN reports.

Ion Plămădeală, one of the protest leaders, said the discussion with President Sandu was very productive and particular solutions were found. Presidential adviser Veaceslav Negruța spoke about the opportunity of providing new loans in preferential conditions to the drought-stricken farmers. The sides agreed to organize a meeting with officials of the National Bank and commercial banks to consider the possibility of releasing loans repayable during longer periods of time and with lower interest rates.

According to Ion Plămădeală, the 6,000 tonnes of diesel fuel promised by the President of Romania during his visit to Chisinau will be distributed to farmers. “It is not much, but any assistance is welcome, regardless of the form,” he stated.

In a posting on Facebook, President Maia Sandu said that in a meeting with representatives of farmers, she urged them to propose a mechanism for distributing the diesel fuel provided by Romania. In the absence of a responsible majority in Parliament, she will continue to ask for foreign assistance to support the farmers who were the worst hit and will promote projects that can help solve the systemic problems in the agricultural sector, including the building of irrigation systems, so that the Moldovan products are competitive on the domestic and foreign markets.