Farmers Call on Prime Minister for Dialogue

Small and medium-sized agricultural producers risk going bankrupt, meaning the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. Farmers sound the alarm and say that the drought, the oversupply of Ukrainian agricultural products and the embargo imposed by Russia on Moldovan products are driving the agricultural sector to total collapse. Farmers demand a state of emergency in this sector, which would allow deferring payments to creditors and providing tax incentives, ipn.md reports. In a joint letter signed by the president of the National Farmers Federation, the president of the Moldova Fruct Association and the president of the Forța Fermierilor Association, farmers appeal to Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita and Minister of Agriculture Vladimir Bolea to seek consensus to declare a state of emergency in agriculture. According to farmers, the drought has put 80-90% of the corn crop and 60-70% of the sunflower and sugar beet crop at risk. The political ban on the import of Moldovan products into the Russian Federation is hitting the fruit and grape-growing industry. The joint letter also mentions that farmers are under pressure from numerous debts to banks, suppliers and other creditors. “The National Federation of Farmers, Forța Fermierilor and the Association Moldova Fruct convene a joint meeting of the administrative councils on September 5, 2022, at 11:00 am, in which we invite Ms. Prime Minister and Mr. Minister to participate. During the meeting we propose to discuss our common demand for declaring a state of emergency and ruling a decision by the Emergency Commission”, the farmers’ joint letter reads. The leaders of the three signatory associations point out that for more than a month the farmers had a sustained dialogue with the Agriculture and Food Minister about the need for a state of emergency, but the dialogue was unsuccessful. Point