The Government tomorrow will adopt a decision to offer compensations to fruit growers incurring significant losses following the Russian ban. This was announced by Prime Minister Iurie Leanca after a meeting with the farmers today, IPN reports.

Leanca said after the meeting that the Government is discussing with the foreign partners the opportunity of orienting their programs to support agriculture towards investing in storage facilities for fruit and vegetables. “Our main objective now is to overcome this crisis, but we are also thinking about next year to avoid this situation from repeating itself”, said Leanca.

The Prime Minister informed the farmers that the National Bank has changed lending rules to allow banks to offer farmers debt restructuring and thus ease the pressure on them. Further amendments concern the Tax Code, affording farmers an extension until November 30..

Leanca went on to add that the Government is offering support to all the farmers willing to profit from the new opportunities offered by the free trade arrangement with the UE, which allows, among other, for up to 80,000 tonnes of duty-free exports of apples and plums. The support measures also concern grapes. Moreover, the Government will reduce ANSA certification costs for export-bound vegetal foodstuffs.

In addition, a plan will be developed to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in Moldova. In this connection, a gigantic apple pie is to be made on August 30. “We may even make it to the Guinness Book of Records”, said Iurie Leanca.

Vitalie Gorincioi, the president of the MoldovaFruct Association, told reporters that a recompense of 1.5 lei for one kilogram of apples will compensate farmers for this year's losses, but only partially. “What we need is a long-term strategy, with concrete and well-coordinated measures for finding other markets, for enhancing the competitiveness of our produce and for promoting it on the foreign markets”, said Gorincioi.