Ministry of Agriculture proposes solutions to protect fruit producers

Chisinau, 16 August /MOLDPRES/- Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Georgeta Mincu has proposed ten actions aimed at protecting the fruit producers in our country, especially from the destructive weather conditions. They were presented on 15 August at a meeting with members of the Moldova Fruct association.

"It is necessary to modernize the anti-hail protection system in order to extend it throughout the country, optimizing the expenses. At the same time, it is necessary to review the procedure for the purchase of anti-hail missiles, in order to increase the decision-making transparency ”, said the official.

The minister also proposed the creation of the Mutual Fund for compensation in the event of natural disasters, based on contributions from farmers. "At the stage of formation of the Fund the government contribution will be required, which will gradually decrease, as the accumulation of farmers increases," the official said.

According to the Minister of Agriculture, amendments to the Law on subsidized insurance of production risks in agriculture are needed, in order to increase the degree of insurance of agricultural crops. "The project is in the final stage of finalization at the ministry," said Mincu.

In the same context, the official pointed out “the obligation to insure plantations/goods/activities for which subsidies are requested”. “According compensation, as a priority to economic agents who have insured agricultural crops. Another action is creation of an electronic module for the management and evaluation of the damages within the information systems managed by MADRM / AIPA, for the operative collection of the data from the district agricultural directorates. All these actions will be consulted with you to make them more efficient ”, she said.

The official also noted that as the agricultural crops, according to the morphology, may have different productivity potential, for characteristic periods, depending on the cultivation technologies implemented and the climatic conditions, it will be proposed to partially compensate the expenses of maintenance of the plantations, until the end of the period of vegetation, under a Regulation.

The Moldova Fruct association was founded in 2006, following an agreement between fruit producers and exporters in the country. Currently, the Association includes more than 170 members, recognized as one of the most important players in the fruit production and export market in Moldova.

The association members produce on average per year: 135,000 tons of apples, 15,000 tons of plums, 1.5 thousand tons of cherries, 3,000 tons of grapes, 1.5 thousand tons of peach and 1,000 tons of dried fruits. The producers of the association have 25 packing houses and have refrigerating capacities for storing 95 thousand tons of fruit.