CHISINAU, Oct. 31Moldovan farmers demand a meeting with Prime Minister Dorin Recean by the end of the week or threaten to protest, according to a joint statement by the National Farmers Federation and the Farmers' Power association.
The Republican Congress of Agrarians was held in Chisinau on October 21, at which more than 600 farmers gathered to discuss the accumulated problems associated with the problems of repaying loans due to crop failure and lack of support from the authorities. Executive Director of the National Federation of Farmers Vasily Mirzenko said that farmers insist on introducing a state of emergency in the field of agriculture due to problems with loan repayments.
«Our organizations demand an urgent meeting before Friday, November 3, with the Prime Minister of Moldova. Otherwise, farmers will begin mass protests using agricultural technology,” the associations said in a press release.
Farmers emphasize that the competent authorities do not even try to conduct a dialogue with representatives of farmers. At the same time, the situation in the agricultural sector is worsening every day. The pressure from creditors on farmers is increasing significantly; some of them have their equipment confiscated and their land taken away. “The country’s largest transnational agricultural holding is intensively purchasing the debts of agricultural producers. With the consent of the authorities, the process of destroying micro, small and medium-sized farms in rural areas is proceeding at a rapid pace. Tension among farmers is growing against the backdrop of government inaction,” the statement notes.
In June, Moldovan farmers went out to protests to draw the attention of the authorities to their problems. They advocated a reduction in VAT on grains, demanded restrictions on grain imports from Ukraine, and wanted access to European funds for the agricultural sector and an increase in the national agricultural development fund. Farmers also insisted on providing them with compensation. After a series of strikes, including the withdrawal of agricultural equipment to Chisinau, the government promised to help solve a number of problems; farmers announced a break until August 1. They met with the authorities again at the end of August, but were dissatisfied with the proposed assistance measures.