The Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters “Moldova Fruct” considers the Government’s efforts to reduce the consequences of the ban on the import of Moldovan fruit imposed by Russia are late, fragmented, incoherent and leave room for interpretation. Therefore, the association adopted a resolution that contains a number of demands, IPN reports.

The fruit producers and exporters propose creating a coordination group managed by the Prime Minister or a Deputy Prime Minister by September 1. The group will monitor the issues concerning the situation in the fruit-growing sector and will stage meetings with producers, processors and other persons involved every week or more often. The provision of financial support to growers of summer apples, autumn apples and plums should be approved by August 31. By September 30, resources should be identified to help sell the winter apples.

The producers demand that the Government should take steps to make sure that the processors do not reduce the purchase prices of 0.65 lei per kg of apples for processing and to help build a fruit processing factory in northern Moldova, in which the suppliers of raw material will have the majority holding. “The problems we face are caused not only by the ban, but also by the incoherent policies to develop the sector pursued the last 10 years. There is yet no strategy for developing the fruit-growing sector. As a result, the producers cannot plan their investments and market strategies,” reads the resolution.

The producers also say that the lack of a day workers law and of a law on the common tax in agriculture prevents the enhancement of the competitiveness of the Moldovan fruit. “The agriculture subsidization fund for 2014 is insufficient and cannot cover the needs. We also do not understand why projects to finance the sector, such as the loan provided by the Government of Poland, are delayed by state institutions in a move to bureaucratize and hamper agricultural producers’ access to these resources,” says the resolution.

The association announced that if no significant progress in satisfying their demands is ascertained in the near future, they will stage protests.