Farmers to attend talks with the government one day before protest

Representatives of the Force of Farmers Association have been invited to negotiate with Prime Minister Dorin Recean. Farmers are scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister on Tuesday, 6 June, the day before the protest planned for 7 June in several districts and at the High National Assembly in Chisinau. “Tomorrow’s meeting, unfortunately, is the first reaction of the government to the indignation of agricultural producers,” the Force of Farmers Association said in a statement. Despite, farmers further declare their determination to protest relentlessly and even to bring agricultural machinery to the center of the capital, to the Great National Assembly Square. Moreover, they say that they are not giving up their already known grievances. Thus, the farmers demand that the government publicly, in writing, make a series of commitments to agricultural producers. It is about allocating no later than August 1, 2023, compensations of production costs to small and medium-sized farmers in the amount of at least MDL 3,000 per hectare for the first group crops (wheat, barley, rapeseed, etc.). They also demand to temporarily limit the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower into the Republic of Moldova from Ukraine by the EC decision, given that the European Commission will extend this restriction to Eastern European countries after June 5. Farmers argue that Giurgiulesti Port should be required to export only agricultural products of Moldovan origin between July 1 and December 31, 2023, so that subsidy debts for 2022 can be paid by July 1, 2023. Another requirement is to amend the law on the VAT refund program so that the program is extended until the end of the year, and the number of recipients and amounts to be paid are expanded.