Moldovan Prime Minister talked to agricultural producers from Ocnita district

Chisinau, April 2 / MOLDPRES /- The measures to protect and subsidize farmers were discussed today in Ocnita at a meeting between Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița and a group of agricultural producers in Ocnita district, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

Gavrilița said that at the next meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers the new regulation will be adopted regarding the subsidy fund in agriculture.

"The field of agriculture is very important for the Government, as it is a solid basis for ensuring the country's food security. Therefore, we decided to increase the Subsidy Fund from 1.1 to 1.75 billion lei. The measures included have been discussed in advance with agricultural producers, meat producers and farmers' associations ", said Natalia Gavrilița, adding that the state aid will be offered to large, medium, small producers or those who have a family business.

The new regulation will allow the compensation of 30% of the value of excise duty on diesel used in agriculture. Access to cheap credit will be facilitated by compensating the interest rate, not only for investments but also for the purchase of working capital, including the increase for the ceiling for renewable energy production projects. At the same time, for the first time, the Government will subsidize the establishment of perennial plantations only with varieties registered in EU catalogs, will compensate 50% of the cost of quality legume seeds of local production, but will increase the state subsidy to 20% for investments of young people returning to the country in the fields of animal husbandry, processing of agricultural production etc.

During the discussion, the producers mentioned the possibility of granting subsidies for fruit processing equipment, as well as the proposal to introduce a single tax in agriculture. They also addressed the issue of apple exports, the blocking of traditional routes for the import of goods and the need to identify new markets.

In this context, the Prime Minister said that the government is now working to cancel the export quotas of agricultural production in the EU, the topic to be discussed next week during his visit to Berlin. At the same time, the authorities are negotiating with the distribution networks in Romania in order to facilitate the export of food products from Moldova.

"Identifying alternative ways to access the international market, liberalizing transport, canceling export quotas, opening new markets are now priorities of the government and we are working in these directions," said Natalia Gavrilița.

In 2022, 17 applications were received for financial support to farmers in Ocnita district, requesting subsidies totaling about 10 million lei. In 2021, 142 unique agricultural producers benefited from state subsidies, totaling 48.5 million lei for investments in perennial plantations, installation of anti-hail systems and modern support systems for perennial plantations, renovation of livestock farms and purchase of irrigation systems.

Photo: Government