Expert Grup says new regulations needed for Payments and Intervention Agency

The creation of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture, which subsidizes farmers and monitors the impact of the agricultural subsidies, is the most important step taken in this sector, Valeriu Prohnitski, executive director of the Independent Analytical Center “Expert-Grup”, said at the launch of the 12th edition of the publication “Realitatea Economica” (“Economic Reality”), Info-Prim Neo reports. “The farmers expect the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture will not follow the opaque and client-centered practices used by the previous government and will ensure transparency in the subsidization process,” the expert said. Prohnitski considers the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry should review and improve the Agency's governance regulations. “The highly centralized structure of the Agency, the unclear functions of its local offices and the lack of supervision do not allow adequately controlling the institution publicly and politically. But such control is needed as the Agency will manage the agriculture subsidization fund of 300 million lei and the overdue payments of 200 million lei for 2009,” Valeriu Prohnitski said.