The government has allocated an additional 533 million lei to support farmers affected by the economic crisis
The government has allocated an additional 533 million lei to support farmers affected by the regional economic crisis and is also engaged in identifying solutions for export substitution and compensation for losses suffered by farmers, Prime Minister Dorin Recean said during a new round of talks with representatives of Moldovan farmers' associations.
"With the outbreak of Russia's war against Ukraine, established logistic chains and economic circuits have been disrupted. Now we need to reorganise exports, identify new markets and, of course, identify additional financial resources to support the agricultural sector. The authorities have delivered on their commitment to increase the speed of processing subsidy applications. We are examining other solutions for the benefit of farmers", said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, said that all operational and management measures had been taken in the last two weeks, so that the Agency for Intervention and Payments for Agriculture (AIPA) had processed more than 1,100 applications for subsidies, and more than 162 million lei had been distributed. A further 3,500 files are to be processed by the end of July, with over 550 million lei to be allocated to beneficiaries.
Representatives of the "Farmers' Force" Association reiterated their demands regarding the possibility of extending the VAT refund programme and increasing the spectrum of beneficiaries. They also called for compensation of production costs for small and medium farmers of at least 3,000 lei per hectare for first-group agricultural crops.
Today, farmers are out in protest again. Farmers from several of the country's districts set off with their farming equipment to Chisinau. Farmers say they are unhappy about rising fuel prices and a nearly threefold increase in interest rates on loans. They are demanding higher compensation for crops damaged by drought and a ban on grain imports from Ukraine.
