Following the CALL for unity, publicly sent to associations and food producers, in a single voice to convince of the importance of taking all measures so that AGRICULTURE and the FOOD INDUSTRY in ROMANIA represent a national priority, the initiative group - the National Federation of Trade Unions from SINDALIMENTA Alimentary Industry - President Dragoș Frumosu, Confederation of Romanian Peasant Agricultural Associations - President Gheorghe Vlad, Romanian Farmers' Association - President Adrian Rădulescu, National Potato Federation of Romania - President Romulus Oprea, National Interprofessional Organization "PRODCOM Vegetable-Fruit" from Romania - President Aurel Tănase, Federation of Sugar Beet Growers from Romania - President Ioan Gherman, Association of Young Farmers Olt - President Florin Ciobanu, Association of Farmers with Investments in the Pig Sector - AFISS - President Larisa Violeta Ene - noted a lack of reaction, more chosen from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, an institution in which today, in addition to the minister, no less than five state secretaries work.
Romanian agriculture is going through a very difficult period, amid the economic crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic, which overlaps with an unprecedented drought in the last 30 years. Despite the desperate calls made by farmers and representatives of the food industry, no government, apart from promises, has really taken concrete steps to bring agriculture to the place it deserves.
Romania's agriculture represents the basis of raw material supply for the food industry
Today, when we talk about the needs of agriculture, about a global food crisis, the big changes that we have been asking for over 25 years are not even taken into account. No one listens to us, no one wants a constructive dialogue that is so necessary for the two sectors of activity that can produce food for the population of Romania and a large amount for export.
Today we are talking about agricultural lands destroyed by drought, or removed from the circuit by the decisions of many town councils, later sold to real estate developers, about the lack of financial support, we are talking about the problems of farmers who grow technical plants, or vegetable growers, about those who deal with animal husbandry , about the lack of interest in restoring the irrigation system. No one does anything, even if our subsidies are lower than our fellow farmers in Germany, France, Holland, etc., or when labor migration to Western countries is done without any protection. We all complain about the existence of these problems in Romania and more, about the absence of a short, medium and long-term development program, about an intervention in this year's crisis situation, for all of which the entire political class is responsible.
After 30 years of lack of medium and long-term vision, we believe that the time has come to change the orientation of investment programs towards the generation of sales markets for Romanian agri-food products.
Considering that it can no longer be like this, we claim that it is time to gather and join forces so that those who lead the destinies of this country understand that it cannot be done without us. We must put aside the divergent views between our organizations and stand together for our rights, for taking the necessary measures, at these crucial times.
In this sense, the Initiative Group sent the Appeal, which includes an important part of measures that must be discussed and taken immediately, to the two Commissions for agriculture in the Romanian Parliament, the President of Romania, the Government and the Minister of Agriculture.
The main measures requested
Among the main requested measures we mention:
– Involvement of the political class in a campaign to support Romanian producers in the coming years;
– Urgent financing of the establishment of breeding farms in the pig sector. Romania imports over 80% of its pork requirements;
– Urgent financing of the establishment of breeding farms in the poultry sector. Romania imports 95% of chicken from Poland. The risk of bird flu and salmonella infestation is imminent;
- Providing financial support for small farmers in the vegetable sector;
– Continuation of the urgent rehabilitation of irrigation systems and their commissioning;
– Emergency approval of the Law on Agricultural Chambers;
– Granting interest-free loans for raw materials and salaries of employees in the food industry;
– Emergency amendment of Law no. 62/2011, republished, the Social Dialogue Law, with the consultation of representatives of employers and federative unions. The private environment can no longer have representativeness and can no longer conclude Collective Labor Agreements, many of the provisions being contradictory, representing a reason for refusing to negotiate the rights and obligations of employees;
– Supporting the beef cattle sector through a national program for the establishment of farms, with predilection in the hill and mountain area, using in this way the nearly 4,5 million hectares of meadows;
– Supporting the sheep sector for commercialization on foreign markets, including live ones (2 ships must be urgently built for the maritime transport of live animals), and financing the construction of a large-capacity slaughterhouse for the export of fresh meat;
– Government intervention to put an end to the abuses practiced by supermarkets. For example, the price of poultry meat at the gate of slaughterhouses has decreased by 30%, but this decrease is not reflected on the shelf in the supermarket;
- Providing financial support for small farmers in the vegetable sector, in the amount/value of 75% of the production cost price, based on the cost standard:
– Expressly stimulating the sector of protected vegetables in greenhouses and solariums, both for the existing surfaces through a coupled support measure, and through investments for their expansion, mainly in associative form;
– Stimulating the areas that produce raw materials intended for industrialization, especially for the production of tomato products;
– Supporting domestic potato production for consumption, which reached below 25 hectares in 000,
avoiding the extinction of the seed potato (600 hectares) and sustaining the potato for
industrialization;
– Simplification of legislation related to seasonal work. Many recipients of social assistance do not enter work for fear of losing this assistance. Instead, they can go begging and stealing around Europe, or they are transformed into the category of those sent during this period to work in different European countries, without any kind of social protection;
– Promoting a law to stimulate employment in agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, the food industry and agricultural research (including day laborers), by providing financial support to employers of up to 35% of the average gross salary, depending on the qualification;
– Stimulating the production of sugar beet and sugar made in the country, in order to reduce foreign exchange expenses with sugar imports. In 2019, 73% of the sugar consumed in the country came from imports. We specify that until 1990, our country provided its entire sugar consumption needs (550.000 tons of sugar/year) from domestic production.
The involvement of the political class in supporting Romanian producers
The involvement of the entire political class in a campaign to support Romanian producers in the coming years, must materialize by promoting a MEMORANDUM that contains short, medium and long term measures, with an annual allocated budget, with reasonable deadlines. We all think that it can't be like this anymore and we want to sound the alarm, perhaps at the most difficult moment for agriculture and the Romanian food industry. We believe that the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government, and even the President of Romania, are now convinced that these problems can no longer be postponed.
We request that our proposals become a national priority. We want this program to be agreed and approved by the entire political class, thus creating all the prerequisites to produce fresh and healthy food for Romanians and for export.
The signatories of the document sent to the Presidency, the Parliament, the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture requested a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and the participation of the Minister of Finance, in order to establish a calendar of meetings by activity sector, in order to complete the "FUTURE OF ROMANIAN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INDUSTRY" program.
Sign on behalf of the Group,
Beautiful Love
PRESIDENT OF THE UNION
