Moldovans spend almost half a billion lei on imported seeds annually

The Moldovan farmers spend almost half a billion lei on purchasing imported seeds. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry proposed a bill on seeds that is aimed at improving the situation in the field, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the Ministry’s data, the Moldovan producers import 87% of the necessary sugar beet seeds, 32% of pea seeds, 30% of vegetable seeds, and over 60% of potatoes for reproduction. The authors of the bill said the supply of producers with national seeds and the replacement of the imported seeds will help the Moldovan farmers save money. Under the bill, the seeds will be bought only by economic entities registered with the National Agency for Food Safety, which controls the seeds area. The unregistered farmers will be able to produce seeds only for own use, not yet for sale. The seeds will be put up for sale packed and with label. The package will contain exhaustive information about the sort and its characteristics. The chemically treated seeds must contain a relevant warning. The seed control body can carry out field inspections to verify the seeds and the sorts. Those who will break the law will be held administratively accountable. The authors also said that the bill was drafted in compliance with the Moldova-EU Action Plan so as to meet the international standards in the field. The bill will take effect after it is adopted by Parliament and published in the Official Gazette.