Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea summed up the results of the agricultural year 2022. In a news conference, the official said agriculture remains a vital sector for the rural development of the Republic of Moldova. Investments in this area need to be made further, IPN reports.
“The year 2022 was very difficult given the overlapping crises: post-pandemic crisis, consequences of the war that led to higher oil and fertilizer prices and the disruption of commercial chains,” said the minister.
Northern Moldova was affected by drought. The economic ban was another factor that caused economic difficulties. Moldova yet increased apple exports to India and Egypt, while its exports to the EU grew to 10,000 tonnes in 2022. Romania remains the main export market.
Vladimir Bolea also spoke about the reduction in the interest rate on loans raised by farmers and about other concessions provided to farmers.
“The agricultural producers were supported by the authorities by creating a green corridor for the export of perishable goods. The draft law on organic products was finished,” stated the minister.
As to the priorities in 2023, Vladimir Bolea said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry will make effort to create a legal framework for 2024 and the activities of peasant farmsteads will be capped.
“We will invest in the creation of farms so that the citizens have dairy products of a high quality. We work a lot on digitalization so that the farmers do not have to take the files to the Ministry and will use a centralized system. In spring, following the amendment of the state budget the subsidization fund will be increased by 250 million lei,” said Vladimir Bolea.
As to the farmers’ request to increase the agriculture subsidization fund to 3 billion lei, the minister said that Moldova has 2.5 million people and 700,000 of them are pensioners who do not have what to sell to pay their bills, while the farmers keep their products in storehouses as they wait for the prices to grow.
According to Vladimir Bolea, the government aims to deal with the real problems of the farmers.
