About 320,000 hectares (40%) of the 800,000 planned have been sowed with spring crops, acting Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said in a program on Radio Moldova. He stated that the barley and peas have been sowed. Now they sow the corn, sunflower, and sugar beet, IPN reports.

According to the minister, owing to the favourable weather conditions and the fact that the producers were able to prepare equipment and supplies of seeds and fertilizers beforehand, the sowing will be closed in the second decade of May, which is an optimal period. The autumn crops look well on all the areas.  The agricultural year promises to be a good one and the farmers will be able to recover a part of the losses caused by the 2012 drought.

As regards the assistance provided by the Government, Bumacov said they distributed by 119 lei per hectare sowed with autumn wheat. “A sum of 22 million lei will be distributed to farmers that sowed autumn wheat, especially in the districts struck by the drought. Another 90 million lei was earmarked for those who will confirm that they sowed corn. The farmers will receive by 200 lei per hectare. In this respect, we negotiated financing of US$10 million with the World Bank. The Board of Directors approved the given sum and the money will be disbursed immediately after the new Government is invested,” stated the minister.