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The grains coming from Ukraine must go on the created transport corridor and not stay in the countries bordering the conflict, the Minister of Agriculture, Petre Daea, said on Friday, after the meeting with the representatives of the farmers who protested in Bucharest.
He stated that the money from the European Commission provided for in the emergency support measures for the cereal and oilseeds sectors should reach the farmers in 29 days from the moment of approval of the Government Decision, which is under approval at the relevant ministries, told Agerpres.
"It is a difficult moment, a moment when the armed conflict and the rattling of weapons near our country have created special problems for the farmers through this influx of grain coming to Romania and which have put those in an extremely difficult situation who work the land and could not use the whole production or could use it at low prices because of the situation in Ukraine. The Ukrainians, being in these momentary constraints, went out with these grains to the neighboring countries, although the respective grains had to reach only where their destination was very clear", explained the minister.
He reiterated that on Thursday, after the publication in the Official Journal of the EU of the Regulation that makes it possible to grant the money, the draft normative act was posted on the ministry's website that establishes the way to grant the 10.05 million EUR from the European Commission, amount that will be doubled through the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The minister also spoke about the letter sent to the European Commission, signed by the prime ministers of Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland and the president of Bulgaria, through which it was conveyed that the existing amounts in the Common Agricultural Policy are not sufficient and do not have this purpose of intervention as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, which is why the Commission was "asked" to find additional amounts to be allocated to that support.
It was also required to build the grain transport corridor to the known destination through the World Food Program (WFP), so that they do not remain in neighboring countries, but go where they are needed.
"Secondly, to introduce measures that mean customs restrictions through customs duties and the Commission must analyze this situation and it should be taken into account. Thirdly, to create a very clear monitoring mechanism by which to know at every moment what amount of grain exists on the way to the countries that are in the vicinity of the armed conflict and, obviously, to intervene with automatic support mechanisms, in the conditions where it is known that there is a negative effect on the market in Romania", mentioned Daea.
Farmers organized protests on Friday in several counties in the country and in the capital, dissatisfied with the solution found by the European Commission to the serious problems and imbalances facing the Romanian agri-food sector, against the background of market distortions caused by the armed conflict in Ukraine.
In Bucharest, the protest started at the headquarters of the European Commission Representation, later the farmers moved to the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, where they asked to talk with Minister Petre Daea.
