Agriculture minister welcomes benefits of no-till agriculture

The implementation of conservative agriculture will enable to stop soil degradation caused by the extensive cultivation of land, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said in the February 5 meeting of national agricultural producers that use no-till technologies, Info-Prim Neo reports. The conservative agriculture envisions maximally reducing direct plowing and sowing, covering permanently the soil with vegetal waste so as to protect it, diversifying the rotation of crops, which will stimulate the development of microorganisms in soil, and combating pests and plan diseases. The no-till technologies are used on about 100 million hectares. They are implemented successfully in Romania, Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia,” stated the official. The conservative agriculture in Moldova is used on 5% of the farmland. “It prevents the appearance of soil erosion and maintains moisture in soil. It enables to reduce the consumption of fuel 2-3 times,” said Vasile Bumacov, adding that these technologies also help solve a social problem – the lack of labor force in agriculture. In the meeting, the 18 producers that are implementing the no-till technologies were awarded prizes. Attending the event, Prime Minister Vlad Filat said the no-till technologies can reduce costs in the agricultural sector and the cost of agricultural production and to increase competitiveness. This fact is important, he said, in the context of the talks on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Moldova and the EU. The Premier urged the producers to center more on measures to improve the quality of products and the post-harvest processes.