Moldovan farmers dissatisfied with grain price
Despite a bountiful harvest this year, Moldovan farmers are dissatisfied with the price they are receiving for their grain, according to regional agriculture officials. Some farmers in the south of the country are also struggling to repay loans due to poor harvests.
In Soroca, the head of the agriculture and food department, Alina Andriuța, said that farmers have harvested an average of 4.9 tons of wheat per hectare, which is a good result. She added that the harvest has been completed and that farmers are now preparing the land for planting in the fall.
The head of the agriculture department in Cahul, Vasile Raru, said that farmers in the south of the country are struggling to repay loans due to poor harvests. He said that rainfall in March and April was good, but that production was compromised at the end of the harvest season.
As a solution, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea has urged farmers to form cooperatives to manage their budgets more efficiently. He said that farmers should not all buy tractors and combines, but that cooperatives should be created. He also said that a harvest of 2.7 tons of wheat per hectare is not a good yield, and that a harvest of 5 tons of corn is not enough to make a profit.
The head of the agriculture and food department in Căușeni, Pavel Curus, said that farmers are waiting for a better price to sell their grain. He said that the elevator, which buys and stores grain, is offering a price of MDL 2.80 per kilogram for food-grade wheat. He said that the problem facing farmers is the oversupply of grain on the market.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry has estimated that Moldova will harvest over 1.2 million tons of wheat this year, which is twice as much as is needed to ensure food security. Of this, up to 800,000 tons of wheat is expected to be exported at a price of MDL 4 per kilogram.
