Farmers Prepare for New Protests: One May Take Place on Election Day

Representatives of the Farmers’ Power Association stress that the protests have nothing to do with politics, but will be organized because “thousands of people could be out of work”. During a press conference held in front of the Parliament building on Friday, 11 October, the farmers asked President Maia Sandu to “keep her promise” and talk to them about the problems they face, possible solutions, as well as to discuss the support measures undertaken by the authorities, which the farmers themselves consider ineffective, newtv.md reported. Agrarians claim that the more than 900 farmers who will receive 100 million lei aid announced by the government represent only 15% of the total number of farmers affected by the drought: “The mechanism proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and supported by the Government is inefficient. The mechanism of dividing this money, 100 million, and wheat seeds is unfair and wrong. Where are the subsidies for this year? No one has received a single lei for subsidies today, all that has been received are debts from previous years,” said farmer Sergiu Stefanco. In addition, the chairman of the Farmers’ Power Association, Alexandru Badarau, said that the protests may resume even on election day if farmers finish their work in the fields: “We want an effective law, at least as in the European Union. There will definitely be protests, we will let you know their place. We can’t tell you the exact day, but it could happen on election day, if the farmers have finished their work in the fields by then. But the public must realize that it has nothing to do with elections, nothing to do with politics. It has strictly to do with the fact that hundreds of thousands of people will be out of business and out of work, that’s what the protests are about,” said Badarau. In September, several members of the Farmers’ Power Association protested on the country’s roads and in front of the president’s office and parliament. They said that the drought had jeopardized most of their grain harvest and declared that the measures approved by the central authorities to address the agricultural crisis were ineffective. At that time, the farmers also met with President Maia Sandu, after which the head of state claimed she would hold talks with the government and parliament to organize new discussions with farmers.