The “Farmers’ Force” Association said the situation with Romanian diesel fuel turned “ridiculous”. “Over 1,500 farmers, who suffered as a result of the drought in 2022, submitted files to the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA) based on the regulations approved by the Government. But the fuel did not come,” the Association stated.
It noted that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry refuses to communicate with the Association on this subject. “All our messages and questions remain unanswered. Many of the farmers who submitted applications to AIPA are in a disastrous financial situation and this diesel fuel is their last hope. They cannot plan their activity and demand at least certainty about the exact deadline for the distribution of diesel fuel. In this context, the lack of reaction on the part of the Ministry of Agriculture cannot be understood and provokes the farmers’ dissatisfaction, the “Farmers’ Force” said.
The Association requests the authorities to provide public information about the causes for the delay in the delivery of Romanian diesel fuel and the deadline for distributing this aid to farmers.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea recently said that the Ministry has completed the study of each file for distributing diesel fuel to each farmer. “About 40 liters of diesel fuel per hectare is to be allocated. The distribution of diesel fuel falls under the responsibility of the Material Reserves Agency of the Ministry of the Interior. It will be received and distributed as soon as possible,” stated the official.
Prime Minister Dorin Recean in a TV8 program confirmed the information that the diesel fuel from Romania will get to Moldova and the Ministry of Agriculture has already decided the beneficiaries who will receive the fuel.
President Maia Sandu also commented on the situation related to the fuel promised by Romania. “Here the decision is to be taken by the Romanian side. We are very grateful for this donation, but should be patient for this to come. It is a donation and we are sure it will come. We hope it will happen as soon as possible and we will be able to help in this way,” Maia Sandu stated in a program on Vocea Basarabiei.
In November 2022, Moldova’s President asked Romania to offer humanitarian aid in the form of diesel fuel for Moldovan farmers. Three months later, the Moldovan Government made an official request to the Romanian Government to provide fuel. After the June 2023 farmers’ protest, the Ministry of Agriculture agreed that Romanian diesel fuel will be distributed to agricultural producers affected by the 2022 drought. The regulations on the fuel distribution method were later drafted and over 1,500 micro and small farmers submitted applications to the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture by the end of September 2023. On November 13, 2023, AIPA finalized the list of eligible farmers and the quantities of diesel fuel that will be provided per hectare taking into account all coefficients.
