In Moldova, farmers will once again protest against the “superficiality of the government” and the parliament’s ignorance of “the gravity of the situation and the need for urgent measures”, announced the specialist association Forța Fermierilor (“The Power of Farmers”) today, 5 September.
Farmers continue to demand the introduction of a state of emergency in agriculture. The organization said this was necessary to stop the collection of fines for late payments of debts that farmers had accumulated amid the drought and high temperatures. According to them, the government’s promised aid worth 100 million lei is insufficient and requires additional investments to solve the problem in the short and long term.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that the State Tax Inspectorate withdraws funds from farmers’ accounts, despite the presence of accrued VAT that could be used to pay off debts. This issue could have been resolved if Parliament had passed a law extending the VAT refund until the start of the summer holidays, the farmers said in a statement.
“Farmers have run out of patience and there is no time to wait. More than two months have passed since we notified the government of the need to take urgent measures and more than 40 days since the Parliament established the special committee on agriculture. Ignoring the problem, which directly affects more than 1.5 million people in the country, led farmers in the Cahul and Cantemir regions to decide to start protests in the near future. The Governing Council of the Farmers’ Power association has decided to support these protests and to start consultations with farmers across the country.” – he said at the specialist association.
Recall that on August 20, representatives of the agricultural sector met with Prime Minister Dorin Recan, but were not satisfied with the authorities’ decisions. They were told that the government had no intention of declaring a state of emergency. Agricultural producers also demanded the resignation of the Minister of Agriculture. Vladimir Bolíwhich promised to provide them with subsidies per hectare only after they support the referendum on European integration. According to the association, this is nothing more than “crude blackmail” instead of the help that the industry has been asking for for a long time.
As reported EADaily Farmers’ Power has previously said it has no confidence in the government, accusing it of inaction. It has demanded a meeting with the country’s top leaders.
“Farmers’ trust in the current government is at an all-time low due to its inaction and public statements in the media that the situation in agriculture is not critical. The government is primarily concerned with politics and its own image, rather than the economy.” – said the head of the association Alejandro Badarau.
