Farmers could protest if they do not have a meeting with Maia Sandu and Igor Grosu in the next 10 days
Dozens of farmers in the south of the country threaten to protest if, in the next 10 days, the authorities do not declare an emergency situation in agriculture in the districts of the south of the country and a moratorium on bank penalties is not applied. They demand a meeting with the head of state Maia Sandu and the Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. According to the authorities, the requests of the farmers affected by the drought are being examined.
Over a thousand farmers are at risk of bankruptcy because of the drought and loans, the executive director of the Association Forța Fermierilor Alexandru Bădărău told Radio Moldova.
"Farmers will protest if for 10 days they do not dialogue with the president of the country Maia Sandu and the Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. I am confident that these protests will not be only in the southern region of the country because the situation is very critical in our country, both because of the drought and the Government's inaction or delayed actions from previous years. Over a thousand farmers could go bankrupt this year because of bank debts, most of those who are at risk of going bankrupt are from the southern part of the country" .
The authorities are examining the requests of farmers affected by the drought, said the PAS deputy Alexandru Trubca, president of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Food Industry. He said that farmers should change their approach and stop planting corn in the south of the country, which is mostly affected by the drought.
"The state authorities will come up with a report this autumn, we will analyze who are the farmers most affected by the drought. Parliament will intervene at the legislative level to facilitate farmers' access to the state's financial resources, to reduce the costs of fertilizers, to facilitate easier access to water. I met them at the end of July and I know all their requests. The state helps them, but it cannot cover 100 percent of all the losses of the businessmen."
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry will not establish a state of emergency in agriculture for the districts in the south of the country, but the authorities are identifying financial resources from external partners to help farmers, said the Secretary of State, Vasile Șarban.
"The Ministry of Agriculture will help farmers. Those who have suffered due to the drought must have a document confirming the damage, and based on this document, farmers must submit to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry a justifying impediment notice".
According to the Association Forța Fermierilor, farmers in Cahul, Cantemir and Vulcănești districts have losses of approximately 135 million lei for the agricultural crops of the first group. Also, in the 3 districts in the south of the country over 19 thousand hectares were affected by drought.
