The Ministry of Agriculture is endeavoring to come up with solutions for all the farmers affected by drought, said Minister Vladimir Bolea, responding to the request of some of famers’ associations to declare a state of emergency in agriculture and to support the farmers whose harvest was compromised by drought. The minister said they agreed with banks, importers of fertilizers and representatives of tax inspectorates to show indulgence to the farmers who cannot fulfill their obligations, IPN reports.
Recently, three associations of farmers – the National Farmers’ Federation, “Force of Farmers” and “Moldova-Fruct” – put forward a number of demands, threatening with protests. Among farmers’ demands are: to defer payments to creditors without calculating penalties, to provide tax concessions and to attract foreign resources for compensating farmers for the losses caused by drought. The minister said a part of the demands have been already satisfied.
“Agriculture accounts for only 7.5% of the released loans. This is not much and the banks reacted positively when we asked them to support the farmers, to reschedule their loans. We should realize that there are 6,500 business entities in the Republic of Moldova. Twenty-eight consultation committees were created under the Ministry of Agriculture and the “Force of Farmers” is only one of them as the branches of agriculture differ between them and face different problems, while the Ministry should come up with targeted solutions for each of these areas. We must realize that everything is interconnected in the state and the non-payment of loans generates problems. The government does not look at a small number of people who see only their narrow problem,” Vladimir Bolea stated in the program “Emphasis on Today” on TVR Moldova channel.
The minister said they agreed with importers of fertilizers to reschedule the debts of those who bought such products. The state institutions will be tolerant towards the famers who cannot honor their obligations. “As regards fertilizers, we speak about debts accumulated in summer as a result of drought, not about historical debts. The companies importing fertilizers were very receptive even if they are private. We agreed with the state institutions not to penalize the farmers, not to sequester their bank accounts. The Ministry of Finance and the Tax Inspectorate expressed their readiness to help,” stated Vladimir Bolea.
According to farmers’ associations, the severe drought this year compromised 80-90% of the corn harvest and 60-70% of the sunflower and sugar beet harvests. The small and medium-sized farmers will be unable to cope if they are not helped by the state. They risk going bankrupt and tens of thousands of jobs will be lost as a result.
