The authorities diminished the 2023 subsidization fund by 250 million lei compared with last year and the agricultural producers this way cannot enjoy predictability, said the executive director of “Moldova Fruct” Fruit Producers and Exporters Association Iurie Fală. According to hum, the farmers do not want to mount protests, but they will have to resort to them if the Government does not treat agriculture as a priority sector, IPN reports.

Under the 2023 state budget law, the national fund for developing agriculture is 1.5 billion lei. The sum is lower than last year and farmers say the diminution of the subsidization fund leads to a decline in investments in the agricultural sector. “As 68 million lei of the sum earmarked in the subsidization fund for 2022 wasn’t used, the ministry didn’t transfer it for next year and we lost this money,” Iurie Fală stated in the program “Reflection Points” on Vocea Basarabiei channel.

Earlier, the minister of agriculture and food industry explained that the subsidization fund was decreased because 2023 is intended for social protection and the farmers should not be a privileged category.

“We want fair treatment. It is a negative signal when the subsidization fund is diminished. A large part of the producers haven’t received the subsidies for 2022 because the debts of 2021 were cleared with funds earmarked for 2022 and this stops the development. The fact that there are many applications for subsidies is a good signal. The Government should support these investments as 1 leu invested from the subsidization fund attracts at least 5 lei more from the private sector,” said the executive director of “Moldova Fruct”.

Earlier, the Association “Force of Farmers” called on the Government to request the European Union to allow access to funds intended for the agricultural sector or the farmers will stage protests. The executive director of “Moldova Fruct” said they want a dialogue with the authorities and the absence of this can lead to protests.

“The producers have the legal right to protest and show their disagreement with some of the Government’s steps. But we, in the association, consider that before staging protests, we should try to negotiate and propose solutions. No one can exclude the protests if a consensus is not reached. But we are ready for a dialogue. We took part in protests when some of the ministers didn’t recognize agriculture as a key area. The Government’s current approach shows that the agriculture is not treated as it should be,” stated Iurie Fală.