Subsidies for ecological agrifood products
From this year, the ecological agrifood products designed for export will be 40% subsidized, while the ecological products supplied to the home market will be 20% subsidized. The conversion to ecological agriculture will be subsidized in continuation – by 700 lei per hectare during the first year and by 400 lei per hectare during the second year, Info-Prim Neo reports.
A sum of 5 million lei was earmarked in the agriculture support fund for 2009 for developing ecological agrifood production. This is by 1 million lei more than in 2008.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, 22,073 hectares of land are now used in ecological agriculture, while 7,997 hectares are being converted. Exports of ecological products at the end of last year totaled 34,370 tonnes.
The conversion process started in 2007 and is to close in 2009. When this process is over, there would be obtained ecological certificates for 3,500 tonnes of wheat, 950 tonnes of barley, 1,750 tonnes of sunflower, 350 tonnes of soybean, 1,200 tonnes of corn, 150 tonnes of sugar corn, 120 tonnes of onion, 60 tonnes of potatoes, etc.