There is enough wheat to ensure country’s food security, agriculture minister

Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Valeriu Cosarciuc in a program on Radio Moldova said the wheat has been 90-95% reaped, with many districts having completed the harvesting. The yield is between 2.7 and 3 tonnes per hectare. About 40% of the reaped wheat is food wheat, as the previous years, though the weather conditions were not the most favorable, Info-Prim Neo reports. “This year, we will have 300,000-320,000 tonnes of food wheat and this quantity is enough to ensure the country’s food security,” Valeriu Cosarciuc said. The wheat and the other grains must be kept at authorized cereal companies that will issue the producers with storage certificates. If the grains are stored at the four state-run cereal companies (Cereale – Cupcini, Cereale – Flor, Combi-Marculesti and the Chisinau cereal company), the producers will be exempted from payments for a period of three months, while the storage certificate can be pledged to obtain bank loans. The interest rate on these loans will be paid from the agriculture subsidization fund during three months. “Thus, the farmers will have money to start preparing the land for the next agricultural year, while the harvested grains will be sold later, when the cereal prices become stable,” Valeriu Cosarciuc said.