Moldovan agriculture minister says ensuring food security in danger

Chisinau, 9 July /MOLDPRES/ - Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Minister Ion Perju, at a today’s news briefing, informed about ‘’reasons for the jeopardizing of the campaign of harvesting of the first-group cereals, which endangers the ensuring of the country’s food security.’’   

„The harvesting campaign started in more settlements of Moldova, a part of it even before the frequent and heavy rains from the last period. Presently, we have friendly weather, both in the southern and central Moldova, the works are massively carried out; the harvest has already started on some lands in the northern region as well. Nevertheless, farmers from the territory have signaled that they cannot take the needed quantity of fuels, in order to start the harvest works,’’ Perju said.      

The official noted that the Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Ministry (MADRM) had been notified to undertake all needed measures and appeal to the competent institutions to solve the problem; in particular, it is about the Economics and Infrastructure Ministry and the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE).   

„After ANRE approved the methodology of calculation and enforcement of the prices for oil products on 14 June, we have signals that farmers can take only small quantities of fuels from distribution chains, especially diesel, which cancels any possibility to help the farmers supply the necessary quantity for starting the agricultural works. Simply speaking, after these changes, farmers cannot supply themselves with the needed quantity of diesel at wholesale prices, having to buy fuel at the pump price,’’ the minister said.     

According to Ion Perju, the competitiveness of the native products decreases against the ones from the regional market, given the current prices and the needed quantity of diesel per one unit of area. ‘’Moreover, in such situations, when the quick intervention of agricultural producers is necessary, taking into account also the intensity of the precipitation we had, the quantity and quality of the products which stay at the basis of the country’s food security – this security can be endangered,’’ Perju specified.    

Perju also said that not less than 30 million litres of diesel was necessary for the works on those 418,000 hectares of farmlands, sowed with first-group cereals this year. This quantity can increase significantly, depending on the quantity of weeds on farmlands.     

In the context, MADRM demands urgent intervention of competent institutions on the methodology of calculation and enforcement of prices for oil products, in order not to allow the jeopardizing or turning more difficult of the campaign of harvesting the first-group cereals, as well as of other agricultural works.