Latin American bananas are much cheaper than Moldovan grapes

Unfavourable weather conditions, as well as the failure to follow the commonly recognised scientific technologies for soil exploitation, has had disastrous consequences for the Moldovan agriculture this year, says a group of academic experts headed by the president of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (ASM), Gheorghe Duca. “Agriculture used to be one of the main sectors of the Moldovan economy, but after the 90s it regressed. The production is low and very expensive: bananas grown in Latin America are much cheaper than the grapes, apples, peaches and other goods produced on our soil. It is obvious that the method of extensive agricultural development, abandoned by all the developed countries, cannot be tolerated anymore”, an ASM analysis shows. According to the academicians, the food security of the state can only be ensured by an intensive-type agriculture, which means diminishing its dependency on weather conditions through creating hybrid species of plants highly resistant and productive. Moldova has enough potential in this area. The type “Capriana” of autumn wheat, created by the Institute of Research for Field Crops “Selectia”, guarantees productivity and higher resistance to frost and drought. Its production potential constitutes on average 5.2 tonnes per hectare on non-irrigated areas and 6.1 tonnes per hectare with irrigation, say the experts. Gheorghe Duca, Teodor Furdui, Serafim Andries, Ion Toderas and other academicians stress the need of improving the legislation on the matter, especially of adopting the law on crediting and partial compensation of loans taken out by the farmers who implement intensive farm technology. The academicians plead for stimulating the activity of farmers through the elaboration of a simplified taxation system and state subsidies awarded to the best farmers. The damage to agriculture is estimated at about 1 billion USD. The total harvest of grain and legume crops was compromised at a 48% rate. According to the forecasts, in meat production alone, losses will constitute 1.7 billion lei, and 1.4 billion lei for dairy products.