The European Union accepted the idea that agriculture in Moldova is seriously affected by the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the state can receive assistance from the foreign partners to help the famers, said the leader of the protesting farmers Alexandru Slusari. According to the executive director of the Association “Force of Farmers”, the farmers asked the Government to pay subsidies from the state budget to them and to later use the money provided by the EU, but the authorities rejected such a scenario, IPN reports.
Alexandru Slusari said the sum asked by the minister of agriculture in Brussels is of over 1 billion lei. The farmers ask for over 700 million lei subsidies. Therefore, the farmers requested that the Commission for Executional Situations should decide to urgently pay subsidies from the Reserve Fund and the state can later use the money promised by the EU.
“The minister of agriculture in Brussels asked approximately the same sum about which we have spoken for several months. Why did we lose these months? We since August 2022 have warned about the farmers’ bankruptcy. The drought, the exorbitant prices of fertilizers, diesel fuel and spare parts. The banks turn their back to us. The state does not help with anything. The prices of wheat dropped to 2 lei, while of sunflower seeds to 4 lei per kg. Last August, we proposed asking the European Union to provide funds. Now the minister goes to Brussels with our calculations. But the situation has worsened dramatically since then. The small and medium-sized farmers are close to insolvency. They do not have money to pay salaries and to buy diesel fuel for harvesting the grain crops of the first group,” Alexandru Slusari stated in the program “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel, noting that when the European funds come, there will be no one who to be saved.
The authorities rejected protesting farmers’ proposals and describe the protest mounted in the central square of Chisinau as a political action.
“This protest is political in character. The money asked for subsidies is intended for agriculture in general, not only for a part of this sector. The farmers protesting in the central square are not small and medium-sized ones, but are large farmers. Those who cultivate grain employ the lowest number of people. Farmland and a combine are enough. They do not create jobs as they can employ people illegally there. The value added in grain growing is the smallest one in agriculture. Yes, it is a strategic sector and we support it, but not to the detriment of the other sectors,” said PAS MP Vitalie Jacot.
Over 150 tractors were taken from a number of districts of the country to the Great National Assembly Square in Chisinau in protest. The farmers demand that the Government should pay 3,000 lei subsidies per ha of grain corps of the first level, clear all the overdue subsidies, ban the import of grain and oilseeds from Ukraine, persuade the Giurgiulesti Port to export first Moldovan agricultural products and modify the VAT refunding procedure.
