Reporters of the journalistic investigations organization RISE Moldova established that Moldovan phytosanitary inspectors issued Transnistrian companies with certificates for exporting fruit from 1,300 hectares of orchards that do not exist, IPN reports.
“At the end of the summer of 2015, the companies “Alvi grupp” and “Dufrimol” received certificates for the export of fruit to Russia from the National Food Safety Agency. Among the documents presented to the phytosanitary inspectors are two letters with the heading of the administration of Caterinovca village of Camenca district, which confirm that the two companies possess orchards of apples and plums that are over 1,300 hectares in area and are located on the territory of the village. However, the mayor of the village Sergey Yagojinskii said that he didn’t issue such certificates and in Caterinovca there are no fruit tree orchards,” it is said in the journalistic investigation.
According to the official answer of the so-called ministry of agriculture and natural resources of Transnistria, in Caterinovca there are no orchards and the total area of orchards in Camenca district does not exceed 385 hectares.
“According to the information from customs databases, the mentioned companies exported over 300 trucks of apples and plums between last August and last September,” said the authors of the investigation.
Vasile Rusu, deputy head of the Chisinau-based National Food Safety Agency, admitted that his inferiors issued certificates for the export of ‘fruit’ form Caterinovca, which belonged to the company “Alvi grupp”. “The inspections at orchards should be performed by specialists from the Transnistrian region. We were shown a certificate from the mayor’s office, with stamp and signature. We cannot verify the authenticity of the document and do not have the right to go to the spot. This is not within our competence,” he stated.
At the same time, acting senior state inspector Mihai Negrescu said the phytosanitary inspectors were obliged to check the place of origin of the products before authorizing their export. These were to see if the orchards exist and are processed appropriately.
Mihai Negrescu holds the post on an interim basis after Alexandru Ciobanu was dismissed from the post of senior state inspector following another investigation by RISE Moldova.
