The Government will earmark 100 million lei from the Agricultural Intervention Fund in the next two weeks to compensate farmers for their losses. Additional resources will also be identified, but long-term solutions need to be found as well. This was discussed by Prime Minister Dorin Recean and Vladimir Bolea, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, with a group of farmers and relevant association representatives.

Dorin Recean emphasized the need to identify long-term solutions for the development of the agricultural sector. “Climate change requires us to adapt to the new situation, implement new technologies, irrigate, transition from growing grains to foods with high added value. Let’s act in perspective and in the long term, because the problem repeats itself year after year and only together we can solve it”, said the prime minister, as quoted in a press release.

Farmers and officials also discussed other proposals to support entrepreneurs in the field: access to cheap financing, the introduction of a single tax in agriculture, the adjustment of excise duties on diesel fuel, the subsidization of new crops and per hectare performance, the expansion of the afforestation program. The prime minister also spoke about the instruments already available to farmers most affected by the drought.

“We facilitated the obtaining of a force majeure certificate for each individual farmer. Introducing a state of emergency in agriculture will not help, and will only jeopardize the next agricultural year”, the prime minister said.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, to date 2,428 reports have been drawn up confirming the losses incurred by farmers as a result of unfavorable weather conditions across the country, with about 97,000 hectares of crops affected. The crop worst affected is corn.