Dancila Gov't six-month stocktaking report: We have kept our promise to farmers, subsidies paid on time

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) - Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) governing has kept its promise of granting subsidies in agriculture on time, in the first semester of 2018, the subsidies paid to Romanian farmers amounting to 1.7 billion euro, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Monday, as she presented the government's six-month stocktaking report at the Victoria Palace. 

Rebuilding the irrigation system is one of the most important projects in agriculture, said the Prime Minister. "We promised, during the campaign, that we will reach an irrigated area of 2 million hectares until 2020. Now, after an year and a half, we have reached 1.2 million hectares," Dancila mentioned. 

She also talked about the governing programme for the wool collection. 

"Before the current PSD-ALDE coalition came to government, approximately 70 percent of the wool produced in Romania was burned, because there were no exploitation and collection centers. This semester, there are 32,328 sheep herders that are enlisted in this programme, which grants 1 leu for each kilogram of collected wool. Thus, as many as 8,865 tons of wool were collected, of which 3,444 tons were exported. In the pig farming sector, this Government has conducted the first concrete rescue action of two purebred species of pigs, which are highly appreciated by consumers, namely Bazna and Mangalita," premier Dancila mentioned. 

The Prime Minister also reviewed the implementation stage of the anti-hail programme, saying that "we currently have over 60 launch points for anti-hail missiles, of which 26 were made in the first semester of 2017. In total, presently, there are over 870,000 of protected acres against hail. Until March 2019 another 63 launch points will be finished", she showed. 

Virioca Dancila also reviewed the "Tomatoes from Romanian farms" programme. 

"I remind you of the 2016 situation which determined us to introduce this programme. We then had roughly 50,000 tons of imported tomatoes, while we exported only 3,000 tons. Today, after implementing this programme, we have managed to produce in Romania 65,544 tons and we will reach 90,000 by the end of the year, nearly double the amount of imports," the Prime Minister declared.