Farmers to get subsidies from augmented subsidization fund

The executive suggests distributing the 250 million lei added to the agriculture subsidization fund. The fund was increased from 313 million lei to 563 million lei by introducing amendments to the state budget law for 2009, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Government also approved modifications to the decision concerning the distribution of these resources. Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Valeriu Cosarciuc said a sum of 220 million lei will go to refund the VAT on the products sold on the home market, as against 50 million lei planned initially. The sum that will be used to refund the VAT on the import of chemicals and fertilizers will be raised from 50 million lei to 147 million lei. Higher sums will be allocated for subsidizing the planting of orchards, growing of vegetables, for ecological agriculture and the animal-breeding sector. Cosarciuc said the Government will ask the Parliament to adopt the modifications as an emergency so that the farmers could receive the subsidies as soon as possible and prepare for the spring agricultural works.