Agricultural subsidies are not provided equitably, farmers

The subsidies granted to agricultural producers are not equitable. The small farmers are not supported by the authorities even if they are the greatest in number, said the chairman of the National Farmers Federation of Moldova Valeriu Cosarciuc. On the other hand, Minister of Agriculture Vasile Bumacov has told Info-Prim Neo that the provisions of the regulations concerning the distribution of subsidies are in accordance with the legislation. Valeriu Cosarciuc told a news conference that the Farmers Federation does not agree with the provisions of the regulations on agriculture subsidization in 2013. He said that the authors of the regulations turned down most of the proposals that came from the farmers. “Though the peasant farmsteads produce two times more than the corporate farms and cultivate over 50% of the farmland, they have access to less than 20% of the money allocated by the state for subsidizing agriculture,” said the Federation’s chairman. Asked to comment on these statements, Minister of Agriculture Vasile Bumacov said it’s not true that the proposals submitted by the Federation weren’t taken into account. “When there are a number of organizations of agricultural producers, the decisions are taken by consensus. We had dozens of meetings and discussed very transparently. There are persons who didn’t take part in the meetings, but now make statements. There are laws that must be respected,” said the minister, adding that by subsidies the state promotes its policies. “We are not a humanitarian institution that shares money to everyone. If we do not support these policies and will not modernize agriculture, those who are now considered discriminated will suffer even more,” said Vasile Bumacov. The regulations on agriculture subsidization in 2013 were approved by the Government on January 30.