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Igor Grosu: My message to farmers is to separate policies from politics


https://www.ipn.md/en/igor-grosu-my-message-to-farmers-is-to-separate-policies-7965_1107443.html

Vladimir Bolea will not be dismissed from the post of Minister of Agriculture because a person cannot influence the weather and make so as it rains or not. This is the answer given by Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu to the question if a dismissal will follow, as the protesting farmer demand. The official called on the farmers to separate politics from policies and assured that the authorities are making efforts to help them overcome the crisis they are facing.

Speaker Grosu categorically rejecteda possible dismissal. He praised the work done by Vladimir Bolea as Minister of Agriculture, saying that he has good initiatives and is cooperative with farmers. Thanks to the recently adopted law, the farmers will benefit from the suspension of payment obligations to creditors for a period of six months in order to be able to arrange their businesses.

“For me it is difficult to understand how a person can influence the weather and make so that it rains or not, that there is a crop or not. The policies that Mr. Bolea pursues are ok. Mr. Bolea is very cooperative. He resisted and coped with all the insults leveled at him. Okay, he also needs to improve his communication and vocabulary. But my message to the farmers is to separate policies from politics. I asked them what the solutions would be. Initially, they said that we should follow Romania’s model of crisis management in agriculture. We took the Romanian model and went further. We completed this model and instituted a special regime of six months,” Igor Grosu said in the program “Black Box” on TV8 channel.

The Speaker noted that the state identified solutions to help the farmers. It offered them 100 million lei from the Government’s Reserve Fund. In addition, through the moratorium on the payment of interest, the farmers will be able to gradually pay off their debts to creditors.

“They are asking for a special regime for a longer period. We told them that it goes not only to them. It also goes to those who supply fertilizers and everything necessary for an agricultural cycle. We must take into account their interests too because they also raised loans from banks. We set this period and also found some resources in the Government’s Reserve Fund. The funds will soon become operational. The special regime exempts them from all kinds of certificates that cost money. A stage has been shortened. I don’t know why they don’t like Mr. Bolea, but in politics and policies, sympathies should be excluded,” stated Igor Grosu.

Farmers from all over the country protested on Thursday in front of the Presidential Palace, asking President Maia Sandu to send back to Parliament for revision the law on the support measures intended for farmers. A meeting with the head of state was scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, at 9:00 a.m.