Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov admitted that irregularities exist in the process of subsidizing the agricultural producers, but assured that he will take all the necessary measures to remove them. He made such assurances in the program “Politics” on TV 7 channel, IPN reports.
Among the invitees of the program were representatives of organizations of agricultural producers, who harshly criticized the work of the Ministry of Agriculture and, especially, of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture, accusing them of corruption. Fruit grower Aliona Mandatii, who is a member of the administration board of the association “Moldova-Fruct”, said the Agency intentionally delays providing subsidies to agricultural producers and asks for bribe in the amount of 20% of the requested sum.
The producers expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that the cheap loan provided by the Government of Poland for developing the Moldovan agriculture will be distributed also by the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture. They asked finding another method and excluding the bank guarantee that represents 11% of the loan, which the farmers will have to pay annually.
The agricultural producers also complained about the bureaucratic and difficult mechanism by which the fruit growers can apply for the subsidies provided by the Government to compensate them for the losses sustained as a result of the Russian bans. “We must first submit applications to the local mayor’s office. After they are examined, the applications are transmitted to the Agency and a final decision is taken by a specialized commission. We are in an electoral year and the producers that form part of another party than that of which the mayor is a member risk receiving no money. Such problems already appeared,” said Alexandru Slusari, chairman of the Union of Associations of Agricultural Producers “Uniagroprotect”.
Vasile Bumacov said he knows these problems, but the farmers exaggerate things. As to the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture, he stated that it was created in 2012 because they waited for European funds for subsidizing agriculture, but there is something wrong there. Two employees of the Agency were fired, but they got back their jobs through court. The minister assured that he will take measures to remove the irregularities and will request simplifying the mechanism for providing subsidies and distributing the Polish loan.
