The top priority now is the timely payment of subsidies to farmers and ensuring procedural support from the Ministry of Finance to avoid any blockages, acting Agriculture Minister Tánczos Barna said on Monday after a meeting with acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
"Today I had a meeting with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan at the Ministry of Agriculture, where we reviewed the priorities of the agricultural sector and the decisions needed in the coming period. The top priority is the timely payment of subsidies intended for farmers and ensuring procedural support from the Ministry of Finance to avoid any blockages, given that all necessary funds are provided for in the Agriculture Ministry's budget," Tánczos Barna wrote on Facebook.
He added that on Wednesday he will present the prime minister the package of measures prepared to combat African swine fever, as well as the new draft regulation on the sale of fresh pork.
"We also discussed the situation of the swine sector, the pork market and the milk market. The package of measures for the combat of African swine fever will be finalized tomorrow, and on Wednesday, together with the ANSVSA leadership, we will present it to the prime minister. Also on Wednesday, we will present the new draft regulation on the marketing of fresh pork. I informed the prime minister that we are working on support schemes for pig farmers and dairy cattle farmers, within the limits of the new temporary state-aid framework adopted by the European Commission, and at Wednesday's meeting we will present a concrete set of measures," the Agriculture minister said.
Regarding the de minimis support for garlic and potato growers, Tánczos Barna noted that he will reassess the Ministry's proposals ahead of Thursday's government meeting.
"Both sectors, which are important for Romanian agriculture and currently face a trade-balance deficit, must receive fair and proportional support from the government in order to consolidate and develop," he added on his social media page.
