Socialists' Party demands 1.4 billion MDL fund to rescue Moldovan farmers
Deputies from Moldova's main opposition, the Socialists' Party, are pressuring the government to revise the 2026 State Budget Law. They propose an emergency increase of 1.4 billion Moldovan Lei (MDL) to the national fund for rural development and agriculture.
Deputy Speaker Vlad Batrîncea emphasized the need for "more stability for the country's strategic sector," calling the proposed sum "the exact size of the Government's outstanding agricultural debt to Moldovan farmers."
Batrîncea warned that many Moldovan farmers are currently facing serious financial difficulties and widespread foreclosures, which makes them risk losing their essential equipment due to outstanding payments to banks and non-bank organizations.
“This is neither charity nor a populist project,” the MP asserted. “We reiterate, this is simply about respecting the law so that people receive the money according to legal provisions.”
The Socialists' amendment was introduced on the very day that the prominent "Farmers' Force" Association organized a major protest outside the Government building. The demonstration was spurred by Moldovan farmers from the drought-stricken South, many of whom feel excluded from critical credit programs.
Protesters characterized the action as a "final signal" before the agricultural situation "degenerates" entirely.
The Moldovan farmers claim the state has accumulated massive debts: an estimated 1.3 billion MDL from unpaid subsidies, a figure they project could exceed three billion by the year's end. Furthermore, they cite an additional 2.4 billion MDL owed from non-reimbursed VAT reimbursement schemes.
In response, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Ludmila Catlabuga, announced that authorities are drafting a bill aimed at halting the immediate foreclosures. However, she stressed that Moldovan farmers will ultimately remain responsible for their underlying bank debts.
The Republic of Moldova’s State Budget for next year was recently approved with revenues of 79.6 billion MDL and expenditures exceeding 100.5 billion MDL. The budget currently allocates 2.3 billion MDL to the national agricultural and rural development fund, a sum the opposition deems insufficient.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
