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The National Strategic Plan (PNS) must be a useful tool for Romanian farmers and agriculture, not for consultants or reforms on paper, says the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Adrian Chesnoiu, who had a meeting on Friday with the representatives of the the National Council of Small and Medium Private Enterprises of Romania (CNIPMMR).
According to a press release sent by the relevant ministry, the main topics of discussion with the CNIPMMR delegation focused on land improvements and access to European funds that will be available through PNS as of 2023, with an emphasis on building regional warehouses and financing green energy investments.
"The dialogue with the representatives of the entrepreneurial environment is extremely useful in finalizing the National Strategic Plan for Agriculture. Next week we will start the calendar of consultations with farmers, by sectors of activity. My goal is to send Brussels a coherent document that truly meets the expectations of farmers and the real needs of Romanian agriculture. The PNS must be a useful tool for Romanian farmers and agriculture, not for consultants or reforms on paper. As you know, together with several fellow EU ministers, we have asked for flexibility on the part of the European Commission regarding the deadline for submitting the National Strategic Plan, given the delays in adopting the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy," said the Minister of Agriculture.
During the meeting, the situation of the labor force in agriculture, the endowment of the practical training workshops of the agricultural high schools, as well as the implications of the increase in the prices for electricity and natural gas for agriculture and the food industry were also discussed. In this context, the head of MADR mentioned the continuation of the support measures aimed at providing free water to the delivery points, where contracts for irrigation are concluded, as well as the settlement of expenses up to 50%, related to the electricity consumption necessary for the functioning of units or irrigation equipment.
As regards the stimulation of employment in agriculture and the food industry, Chesnoiu recalled the provisions of the draft law submitted to Parliament which seeks to provide fiscal facilities to those employed in agriculture, food industry, forestry and fish farming, similar to those granted in the construction field.
