Moldova’s agriculture is oriented mainly to the export of fresh fruit and vegetables. This implies a considerable risk in case of rapid sales, stated Mariana Rufa, executive director of the European Business Association, who moderated a number of seminars intended for national agricultural producers. In an end-up roundtable meeting, the expert formulated suggestions for facilitating the farmers’ access to the EU market, IPN reports.
Mariana Rufa said the fresh fruit and vegetables production sector needs adjustments so as to eliminate the bureaucratic procedures and to institute financial stimuli for farmers who supply products to the EU. Most of the participants in the seminars invoked exaggerated taxes and duties, including on the registration of land, difficult fiscal procedures, monopoly on the import of seeds and fertilizers and the lack of interest for supporting the organic products sector on the part of the authorities.
The expert underlined the necessity of more actively involving civil society, the authorities and the agricultural producers in overcoming the existing problems so as to increase the presence of Moldovan products on the EU market. Mariana Rufa insisted that the agricultural producers should strengthen their relations with the partners from the EU and should honor their commitments. She also urged the farmers to come to the European Business Association every time they face monopoly on export/import as they will be helped there.
Attending the event, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ion Sula said the agricultural producers should express an increased interest in entering the EU market and the obtaining of information today is not at all difficult.
The seminars for agricultural producers were staged within the project “Supporting the democratic participation of farmers and food producers in decision-making process in the DCFTA” that is implemented by Transparency International – Moldova, which is a member of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.
