Moldovan farmers demand the introduction of a state of emergency in agriculture, as well as the acceleration of the process of documenting the fields affected by the drought, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry.
This was discussed at a meeting of farmers with the Minister of Agriculture on July 20. According to farmers, the introduction of a state of emergency in agriculture will allow:
seek external partners for financial support for affected farmers;
provide a deferral for affected farmers to pay to banks, fertilizer suppliers, as well as international projects and other creditors;
introduce tax incentives for affected agricultural producers.
The Farmers’ Power Association categorically demanded that the Republic of Moldova prohibit the leasing of agricultural land by companies controlled from “so-called tax havens”.
The discussion also touched upon issues related to restoring irrigation systems, expanding farmers’ access to groundwater, tax exemptions and repayment penalties for drought-affected farmers.
In this regard, the Minister of Agriculture Vladimir Bolya said that a number of decisions would be made by the end of this week, as well as urgent actions to help the agricultural sector break the deadlock.