The Government will compensate the difference between the prices at which the processing factories will buy plums and apples and their real cost and will make effort to extend the commercial relations with Belarus and Kazakhstan. But it will demand that the producers provide fruit and vegetables of a higher quality so that they could be sold both in Moldova and abroad, Prime Iurie Leanca said in a meeting with agricultural producers from northern Moldova in Edinet, IPN reports.
“I want to have a dialogue with farmers and producers, not with politicians. We should hear each other. I think there are solutions and we must identify them. The situation is difficult, but not unsolvable. I came to discuss the problems of those that really make effort and perspire,” said the Premier when some of those attending tried to destabilize the situation.
“The day before yesterday, I had two meetings with producers and processors in Chisinau. The discussions were important and useful. We found solutions to key problems faced by the agricultural sector following the restrictions or bans imposed by Russia. From legal viewpoint, these decisions are illegal. We have commitments within the CIS. The Russian partners should have consulted us and provided evidence to us. Despite the pressure exerted on us, we decided not to take response measures, at least for now. We will not say that the Russian vodka is harmful, as they said about the Moldovan wine. We will not ban the import of Russian products. We left the door open until September 1 and I hope reason will triumph in Moscow and we will have normal commercial relations.”
Iurie Leanca said the Government does not want the agricultural producers to become victims of these decisions and to encounter problems when repaying loans and salaries to employees “We will purchase apples with the 20 million lei allocated for the purpose, while Romania will buy another 14,000 tonnes of apples at reasonable prices. “I’m convinced that we will not experience problems with the late sorts of apples from September. I sincerely ask the producers to make sure that they meet the highest quality standards,” he stated.
The Premier also said that the National Bank of Moldova decided to enable the banks to be more flexible so that they allow rescheduling farmers’ debts. “We will have a meeting with representatives of banks to discuss the issue. They also want you to be able to repay the debts,” noted Iurie Leanca.
He announced that the President of Belarus Alexandr Lukashenko comes to Chisinau in September, underlining that effort will be made to increase exports to Belarus.
