Moldovan growers opt for safe fertilizers at beginning of agricultural season

Chisinau, 21 February / MOLDPRES /- Access to safe and high-performance phytosanitary products, the role of competent state institutions and companies producing phytosanitary products / PUF / was the topic of a workshop. It was organized by the Moldova Fruit Association with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) project on Performing Agriculture in Moldova, under the Partnerships for the Development of Integrated Protection and Fertilization in Orchards program.

Compliance with the maximum permissible standards for fruit residues, the declining number of active substances that can be used in the production of approved fruit and organic products are problems for which producers are looking for solutions at the beginning of the agricultural season.

Vitalie Gorincioi, President of the Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters Moldova Fruct, said that producers today need not only financial support, but also logistical, technological, to be guided on how to get a rich harvest, using the right protection products, but and with the possibility of selling it on any market.

"It is important to produce fruit in accordance with the maximum permissible residue standards, not only for sale on the European Union market, but also for the domestic market. Together with the state institutions, the companies producing and distributing pesticides, the development partners will overcome this difficult period and later it will be easier to meet the requirements ", mentioned Vitalie Gorincioi.

In the PUF chapter, producers require the registration of several products, including organic ones, for example, for pre-harvest treatments for kernels which would allow a longer shelf life of the fruit. "We have registered 85 products through the procedure for recognizing approvals in EU member states and we still have files that are being examined," says Nicolae Danilov, deputy director of the State Center for Attestation and Approval of Phytosanitary Products and Fertilizers.

The workshop participants decided to organize discussions focused on each topic separately, in order to identify the best solutions. Iurie Fală, executive director of Moldova Fruct, concluded that "the strategy of the Association provides that our fruits be competitive in different markets, or, competitive would mean that they must be aligned to the same European standards or from other countries." "The requirements will be more and more stringent, regarding the use of pesticides, this will inevitably lead to an increase in production prices. In order to face all the challenges, it is necessary to obtain quality and harmless fruits that we can sell at competitive prices ", said Fală.

The Republic of Moldova has several laws and decisions that stipulate what happens to the packaging used in the PUF circuit, including a regulation on packaging and packaging waste.

Photo: Moldova Fruct