Transparency International – Moldova, which a member of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, consulted the farmers within the project “Supporting the democratic participation of farmers and food producers in decision-making process in the DCFTA context (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area)”. Most of these invoked the limited access to information and difficulties in obtaining export certificates, IPN reports.

The process involved a number of experts. In a roundtable meeting on September 10, one of the experts Mariana Rufa, executive director of the European Business Association, said that almost all the farmers with whom she spoke expressed their wish to take part in as many informative seminars on the access to the EU market and on the customs procedures in force as possible.

The farmers complained about the low access to international transport and about the fact that many companies cannot provide this service. Another problem invoked is related to subsidization. Mariana Rufa noted that many farmers said the procedure for granting agricultural subsidies is not transparent and is very difficult. There are needed a lot of certificates, while the peasant farmsteads and small enterprises practically do not have access to subsidies. Many young people who returned home from abroad and decided to start an agricultural business in Moldova complained that the state does not provide funds to startups as the EU states do.

Attending the event, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ion Sula said the DCFTA with the EU brings many benefits to farmers, but these should be more active and look for partners on the EU market. “The obtaining of the right to enter the EU market with about 500 million consumers opens many opportunities for farmers. But we should not forget about competitiveness. We will achieve success on this market only if we are competitive. The authorities are making effort to modernize agriculture and to also reduce the import of goods that can be produced in our country,” he stated.

Transparency International – Moldova director Lilia Carasciuc said that 19 seminars were staged within the project in different districts of the country. These involved over 500 agricultural producers.