The minister’s analogy came in response to a statement from the administration of Forța Fermierilor, the Association of Grain and Oilseed Producers, regarding the intention of farmers in several districts to continue their protests on June 24 of this year.
Presumably, Minister MAIA was referring to post-investment subsidies (in the form of partial compensation for farmers’ costs in purchasing new agricultural machinery and equipment), which have been allocated for many years. In addition, Liudmila Katlabuga noted that this year the government has allocated 110 million lei as a refund of the excise tax on diesel fuel purchased by agricultural producers. To date, the AIPA agency has approved 300 out of 2,244 requests for compensation, and this process is ongoing.
However, just as the board of the Forța Fermierilor association aims to continue the dialogue with the authorities, the head of MAIA is not seeking to strain relations with farmers. “I don’t want to upset the farmers. I have great respect for them and am grateful for their daily work and the risks they have taken in recent years. Of course, I do not want these protests to escalate into political issues or, worse yet, be used as a tool to gain political capital. Farmers have every right to protest, and I stand with them,” the minister stated. She also noted that the issue of VAT is currently in the public consultation phase and a final decision has not yet been made.
