Moldovan speaker proposes to set up council of observers on agricultural funds

Chisinau, 11 June /MOLDPRES/ - Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu today met farmers in central Criuleni district. They sides discussed proposals on development of the agricultural sector and settling present problems, the parliament's communication and public relations department has reported.

Candu visited a string of rural households from Onitcani and Boscana settlements and analysed the farmers' proposals on identifying efficient solutions meant to contribute to developing agriculture.

Among the most important issues tackled by the farmers and for which they asked for the support of the parliament speaker, are designing and building an irrigation system by using water from the Dniester river. The farmers noted that, even if they had farmlands on the Dniester riverside, they could not use the water from the river in the absence of an irrigation system.

"The quality of vegetables depends on irrigation in time. We have farmlands on the Dniester riverbank, we fight against floods, but we cannot use the water for irrigation", the farmers said.

Farmer Ion Hagiu invested in agriculture two years ago, and intends to build his own irrigation system, which implied up-to -date equipment to pump water from the Dniester river. He complained to the speaker about a string of bureaucratic problems that could affect the functionality of irrigation system and, respectively, the investment made in agriculture.

Candu proposed to work out a project on restoration of the old irrigation system in the settlements from Criuleni district, with the support of international funds. The system is to have irrigation mobile points to which more settlements of the district should be connected. Also, he said that a solution would be to improve the legal framework, so that the farmers could be able to solve the problems arising in a "single office". 

Also, Candu proposes to change the legal framework for setting up a council of observers, which would be made up of farmers, who should monitor allocation of agricultural funds, including for national projects on agriculture.

"The state is obliged to create all conditions necessary for farmers. Less bureaucracy and more transparency, in order that the state should be able to help the farmers make what they know better. We must together strive for implementing as many as possible European projects in agriculture", he said.

Other issues signaled by farmers were focused on creating a profitable crediting mechanism, simplifying mechanisms to get credits, ensuring stable sales market and storage conditions for vegetables and fruits, buying agricultural equipment etc.

The speaker visited a super-intensive apple orchard in Onitcani village. Plantation owner  Valentina Monu said that she was using up-to-date equipment to grow fruits.

The speaker also visited the peasant household of Moscul family in Boscana village. 

Candu said that requests and proposals by farmers were to be discussed also within a special commission for elaborating and approving a string of legislative amendments to back farmers. The commission, founded at an initiative by the parliament speaker and made up of MPs from all the parliamentary factions, will propose legislative drafts to develop agriculture and support Moldovan farmers.

(Editor A. Raileanu)