The Farmers’ Force Association says its members are intent on resuming protests immediately after finishing harvesting second group crops, by driving their tractors to Chisinau.
The organization also says it plans to hold a farmers’ convention to discuss the situation created as a result of the 2022-2023 crises, and formulate their positions “in relation to the government or some of its particular representatives”.
The Farmers’ Force issued a press release saying the decision to resume the protests was in reaction to Prime Minister Dorin Recean failiming to meet with its representatives. “We no longer believe in the good intentions of the authorities and declare that the government bears a large part of the blame for the deep crisis into which the agricultural sector has been thrown. The drought, then the war in Ukraine, the increase in the price of raw materials and the disruption of logistics chains put farmers under severe strain. Farmers in all the countries of the Black Sea basin had similar problems, but in those states the authorities adopted timely measures of support. In Moldova, however, the Government practically left farmers alone to face the difficulties that arose in circumstances that absolutely did not depend on them”.
The organization went on to criticize the government for not listening to farmers’ demands to take protective measures or for implementing them belatedly. “The amount of 200 million lei recently allocated in compensation towards first group crops is six times less than what is needed. This money will reach only a part of the farmers, and belatedly, too”.
According to the Farmers’ Force, most of its members believe that the government’s “failure to act” plays into the hands of “a small group of transnational tycoons” that seek to “destroy” micro, small and medium-sized farmers and “transform Moldova into their estate”.
