District reserves now contain about 91,000 tonnes of wheat

The wheat reserves in the districts are estimated at about 91,000 tonnes of food wheat at present. Minister of Local Public Administration Valentin Guznac said recently that the districts of Donduseni, Falesti, Soroca, Soldanesti, and Ungheni have fully completed their food wheat reserves. The other raions are yet to supplement their reserves. Ocnita district needs 8,600 tonnes, Drochia – 1,500 tonnes, Floresti – 3,000 tonnes, Leova 1,800 tonnes etc. According to the minister, a number of districts asked for the extension of the term for returning the food wheat borrowed last year from the state. Six raions have submitted such applications for about 1,590 tonnes. Guznac said that the respective districts argue that they had a very low wheat yield, of 15-15 quintals per hectare, or by 18 quintals less compared with the previous year. Owing to this, the districts of Falesti and Ungheni experience a considerable deficit of wheat, of 3,500 tonnes and 7,000 tonnes, respectively. Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev said that the Government is ready to extend the term for returning the wheat, but with a strict justification in every separate case. The Commission for Emergencies will consider such proposals and put forward draft decisions to the Government. All the data will be examined by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the Ministry of Finance, the Agency for Humanitarian Aid and Public Procurement. Districts’ debts to the state reserve will be rescheduled only with the consent of the abovementioned institutions. Earlier, the Premier expressed his suspicion that the farmers do not declare all the quantity of food wheat that they harvested this year, accusing them of incorrectness towards the state and the land owners to which they do not pay the rent.