Farmers to Hold Mass Protest: Attempts at Dialogue with Authorities Have Failed

The Forta Fermierilor (Farmers’ Power) Association and the National Federation of Farmers report that Moldovan agrarians will hold a mass protest in the capital on 22 November. Agricultural machinery will come to Chisinau. The main reason for the protest is the critical situation in which micro, small and medium-sized farmers find themselves; their risk of bankruptcy is imminent. The farmers are distressed that the authorities have not taken into account the difficulties they face and that their silence and inaction are contributing to the ruination of rural agriculture. “First of all, we apologize to the citizens of the capital for certain inconveniences, but many farmers are on the verge of bankruptcy and desperation and have no other option. All our attempts to save micro, small and medium-sized farmers through dialogue have failed. The authorities did not listen to us and by their silence and inaction contribute to the ruination of farmers in rural areas and turning Moldova into a fiefdom of transnational holdings, which do not need our villages,” reads the report of the Farmers’ Power Association. Among the main demands of the agrarians are a moratorium on the calculation of fines and the enforcement of bonds for farmers in difficult situations, the provision of direct payments per hectare starting from 2024, and the allocation of significant funds from the National Fund for Agricultural Development to compensate for the agricultural products’ ridiculous prices. The agrarians also demand a ban on the import of wheat, maize and sunflower until 31 March 2024 and to allow the transit of these products from Ukraine only by rail. “We especially note that all our demands can be achieved without additional budgetary costs, although we believe it is time for the government to attract European funds to financially support farmers in the context of the geopolitical situation in the region,” the statement reads. The farmers emphasize that their protest has no political overtones and that they will reject any attempt to use the event as a political tool. However, they hope that their action will attract the authorities’ attention and encourage them to take urgent measures to support the struggling agricultural sector.