Farmers protest new bureaucracy in compensation process
Farmers in Moldova plan to protest on Wednesday against what they say is excessive bureaucracy in the process of obtaining compensation for the cultivation of cereals and diesel fuel.
The new requirements imposed by the authorities require farmers to submit extracts from lease contracts, including cadastral numbers, names, and surnames of landlords, and lease terms.
Alexander Slusari, executive director of the Farmers' Force Association, told Radio Moldova that the new requirements are abusive and difficult to implement.
“We are demanding that the circular recently distributed by the Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture be annulled, as it contradicts the Regulation on the Provision of Compensations, is an abusive act, and it is very difficult to implement this requirement, as AIPA requests extracts from lease contracts for all areas of wheat and barley, as well as for areas affected by drought. Each farmer must attach to the file proof of the management of thousands of parcels, indicating the name, surname, lease term, and other details. Another problem is that cadastral inspectors in the municipalities are very busy, and this will make it more difficult to obtain extracts,” Slusari said.
On the other hand, Vasile Șarban, secretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, says that farmers' dissatisfaction is unfounded, as the information about the proof of land management is held by the municipalities and it would not be a problem for farmers to obtain it.
“We have requested this in accordance with the recommendations of the Court of Auditors. When presenting the file, the economic agent must present proof that he manages “X” agricultural lands, in order to receive assistance from the state. We are not asking for anything illegal. The registry of contract records is legal, and the agricultural producer can obtain this information from the municipalities,” the secretary of state said.
The Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture issued a circular on August 25, requiring all applicants for compensation for cereal cultivation and diesel fuel to attach extracts from lease contracts to their applications.
In June, farmers protested, taking their tractors to the Great National Assembly Square. They demanded the allocation of 350 million lei out of the 700 requested for compensation for the production of cereals and oilseeds. Another demand of the farmers was the distribution of the 4,000 tons of diesel fuel donated by Romania.
The government recently decided to allocate 200 million lei from the reserve fund to prevent the bankruptcy of small farmers and micro-agricultural households “affected by the crises of last year.”
Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a call for applications for the establishment of the amount of diesel fuel in support of farmers. The deadline is September 29.
