The humanitarian aid valued at 220.5 million rubles donated by the Russian Federation to Moldova's breakaway province of Transnistria in response to last summer's drought is distributed only to large farmers, Info-Prim Neo's correspondent in Transnistria reports. A special fund has been created to offer financial support to the agrifood sector and many farmers lament the decision of the Transnistrian lawmakers to distribute these funds as loans at interest rates ranging from 6% to 8%. The distribution of the Russian aid is supervised by the Central Bank of Transnistria. The money is offered to farmers on a business plans basis, in amounts of up to 12,250 Russian rubles repayable in maximum 5 years. Under an ordinance of the bank's board, 20% of the expenses included in the project budget is to be covered by the applicant. From the very beginning of the new farming season, the small and middle-scale farmers have expressed their concern that only big fish will receive the Russian aid. And as time progresses their concerns run deeper. “It seems that only rich agrarians will get to profit from the aid donated by Russia for alleviating the effects of the drought. If you happen to have one thousand, you'll get four more. But if you are full of debts and in a really bad need of help to make ends meet in your household, you'll get nothing”, reads Pravda weekly, the paper of the Transnistrian Communists. Three political parties in the region – the Patriotic Party, the Republic, and and the People's Will Party, which are tied to supporting Transnistria's leader Igor Smirnov, are demanding a reconsideration of the distribution mechanism for the Russian humanitarian aid. Local analysts see this as a fresh strain in the relationship between Smirnov's supporters and the Transnistrian legislature, dominated by the Speaker Yevgeni Shevchuk-led Renewal Party.