The recent farmers’ protests staged in Chisinau generated new turbulence in the relations between farmers and the authorities. Even if the protests were maximally visible and the authorities were sufficiently vocal in their reactions to the formulated demands, society most probably didn’t realize sufficiently well what these protests and turbulence meant in essence. The insufficient communication on the part of the protesters, the authorities and even the press in Moldova can be an important reason for such a state of affairs. The experts invited to IPN’s public debate “What do farmers want? What can Government do?” discussed the goals of the protests and the authorities’ position on them, the possible solutions to this conflict and the economic, social and even political risks that can appear if the problems formulated by the protesters are not dealt with efficiently and on time.
The permanent expert of IPN’s project Igor Boțan said the farmers are entrepreneurs who own or rent farmland and work in agriculture. They develop different areas, employ labor force, purchase equipment, fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides, build storehouses, sell their products, pay taxes, etc. and these aspects make them differ from other categories of farmers.
“The protest is a public expression of the disagreement, disapprove or opposition to a usually political action or inaction. The protest is typically perceived as a reaction to a social situation: sometimes in support, but more often against this. Depending on the authorities’ and the political regime’s attitude to them, the protests can be authorized and unauthorized. An extreme form of social protest can turn into a revolution,” explained the expert.
According to Igor Boțan, the Cabinet and the Ministry of Agriculture are the authorities empowered to deal with the problems experienced by agricultural producers.
Viorel Chivriga, economic policy expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul”, said that the current farmers’ protests are admissible and are held peacefully. But they can generate questions, such as why did they choose the Great National Assembly Square, which is a holy place for Moldova and the Moldovans, as a venue, and why do only some of the categories of farmers or even persons who are not involved in agriculture take part?
The expert wonders if a general discussion involving the largest part of the famers to consider particular problems that are important for Moldova’s agriculture was possible as the protests that are mounted spontaneously lead to momentary solutions, in the best case, or to nothing.
“The risk of politicization of the current developed by the farmers persists and this is inadmissible, especially in conditions that are not at all favorable for Moldova. I mean the war in the neighboring country. Secondly, there are enormous problems related to the sale of agricultural products, which in fact were a source for exports. Thirdly, the loss of the traditional markets and this is a problem – why do the people wonder why they were traditional only now?” stated Viorel Chivriga.
According to him, the prospects for the future should be analyzed. “The farmers should be now told what the state, the authorities can do with regard to the other categories of economic operators? As in Moldova there are also others sectors except agriculture and particular conjunctural situations should be overcome,” stated the economic policy expert.
Agricultural policy expert Iurie Rija, executive director of the Association of Exporters and Importers of Agricultural Products and Grain “Agrocereale”, said that farmers’ protests started in summer. The protesters were organized through the agency of farmers’ associations, namely the Association “Force of Farmers”. The protesters demand that the subsidy should be equal to that in the EU, specifically in Romania.
“For comparison, the tendency the last agricultural season was upward as the subsidy rose from the equivalent of €45 per hectare to €61-62. Nearly 7 billion lei was spent from the Republic of Moldova’s budget the past three years on agricultural subsidies alone,” explained the expert.
According to him, the farmers also make reference to the quantity of diesel fuel donated by the neighboring country Romania – the equivalent of 4,000 tonnes. The list of potential beneficiaries is being examined by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry. The farmers who need this support are now being identified. The limit of 40 liters per hectare was set, with the applications of over 1,500 Moldovan farmers being now examined.
Iurie Rija said that the farmers also called on the Commission for Executional Situations to institute a moratorium on the debts that can be claimed by banks on the released loans or by companies that sell inputs. When the protests started, the farmers asked that the moratorium should be valid by December 31, 2023, but now the farmers ask that this should last until December 31, 2024.
“The protesting farmers have one more condition, the fourth demand, namely to increase the development fund from which subsidies are paid. Two years ago, this fund was of 1.1 billion lei. This year it is of 1.9 billion lei. This fund is intended for farmers who carry out agricultural activities and 90% focus on the cultivation of farmland as there are groups of companies that perform several types of activities. There is only one condition – that a company’s land cultivation and grain growing activities should represent 90% of their activities,” said the executive director of the Association of Exporters and Importers of Agricultural Products and Grain “Agrocereale”.
The public debate entitled “What do farmers want? What can Government do?” was the 296th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” which is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
