Premier instructed ministers not to give empty promises to farmers

Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev instructed the members of the Government not to confuse the farmers in villages concerning the amount of aid received from external sources to diminish the consequences of this year’s drought. The PM is dissatisfied with being unjustly accused whenever he makes any trips to villages or towns. “When I travel to countryside people ask me about millions of dollars which even I have never seen”, said Vasile Tarlev. The Premier mentioned at last week’s meeting of the Commission for Emergencies that the Risk Fund for agriculture received donations amounting to 1 million USD from the Government of Azerbaijan and US$ 50 thousand from the Red Cross branch in Chisinau. The Swiss Cooperation Office yesterday announced that three hundred farmers from ten villages in the northern region of Moldova will receive seeds and fertilizers for winter wheat funded by the Swiss Agency for the Development and Cooperation (SDC). This assistance amounts to US$ 80’000 and is a response to the request of the Moldovan Government for support in coping with the impact of the current drought. The seeds and fertilizers will be purchased locally and distributed by the local NGO Pro Cooperare Regionala - which works with the support of SDC - in cooperation with the respective mayoralties.