Moldovan PM asks for most serious involvement to eliminate monopoly on export of nuts

Chisinau, 01 August /MOLDPRES/ – During the meeting of Government, on Thursday, 01 August, Prime Minister, Maia Sandu, has referred to the tragic case in Criuleni city, where yesterday a 10 – year – old child died and another was injured and he is in serious condition at the hospital, after explosion of a grenade near the playground, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.

The PM has appealed to citizens, parents in particular, and urged them to take care and tell children not to approach and touch unknown objects that may be dangerous to their lives and health. An investigation is underway on this case.

Also, the Minister of Healthcare, Labour and Social Protection, Ala Nemerenco has informed the ministers about the condition of the injured child, mentioning that he was transferred by AVIASAN service to the Institute of the Mother and Child and he was subjected to interventions, and, at present, his condition is serious, but stable. Also, Minister of Internal Affairs, Andrei Nastase, has called for more attention to activities of children, saying that it is important to prevent such tragedies.

Also today, the Cabinet of Ministers has approached the issue of monopoly on the export of nuts. PM Maia Sandu specified that the blockade is now at the Prosecutor's Office, where there were opened criminal records to several companies: There were opened criminal cases to more economic agents and, respectively, these companies could no longer export nuts. There were only a few businesses that were not opened criminal cases and this monopoly was established. Now the process is blocked in the Prosecutor's Office."

The Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, Georgeta Mincu, specified that one of the solutions would be to remove the economic agents from the red corridor for the following transactions and allow the export of nuts further, with proper verification of the current transactions. “We produce 14,000 tonnes of nuts and we have exported 10,000 tonnes. We have no illegal import and export to justify this allegation of smuggling. Nut producers are discouraged from investing in this branch. Moldova corresponds to the conditions of planting the walnuts according to the climatic conditions. We rank 4th in the world among the top nut exporters. We have the potential to grow this large branch and by establishing this smuggling assumption, we are destroying a newly created sector,” said minister.

At her turn, PM Maia Sandu has said: “This restriction of free competition beats even the poor persons which have two trees in the yard and in the autumn they managed to raise money for firewood and coal. So greedy were the former rulers which tried to make money even on this mode too.” The PM has also appealed to all civil servants on whom the rapid resolution of this problem depends to be involved in the most serious way.