Speaker Ciolacu on Romanian farms' resilience as a goal of national interest and new concept of economic patriotism

Ensuring the resilience of Romanian farms becomes a goal of national interest, part of the national security strategy, Parliament Speaker and Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu told the national conference 'Young Leaders for Agriculture', organized on Wednesday by the Romanian Farmers' Club; on the same occasion, Ciolacu introduced his newly coined concept of economic patriotism.

According to Ciolacu, agriculture is facing increasingly complex problems that do not depend on natural factors alone.

"The overlapping impact of the recent crises, the human resources crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the economic crisis are redefining the place, the role and the way in which agriculture businesses survive and become competitive. The new goals and milestones in the fight against climate change now impose unprecedented new limitations on agriculture. Against this international backdrop, Romanian agriculture undergoes an extensive transformation process, with major economic and social stakes. Whether we are talking about ensuring continuity and succession in agricultural businesses, focusing on strategic national projects for resilience and performance in agriculture, or the expansion of new economic models to increase farm competitiveness, all these are major concerns that require a firm, coherent and quick response," Marcel Ciolacu said.

He pointed out that the establishment in Romania of a European center for the training and promotion of young leaders in agriculture represents "an idea that gives meaning to the common desideratum of supporting the new generations of young Romanian farmers, amid the European context."

He remarked that both the EU and Romanian agriculture are faced with a generational gap, pointing out that the aging of the rural population continues.

"After entire generations of Romanians who left the country, the time has come to keep our young farmers here, at home," Ciolacu said.

The PSD leader also proposed the new concept of economic patriotism, "that is, to produce and consume as much Romanian as possible" and for this to be feasible, "the Romanian state must allocate significant amounts for new investments, re-engineering or the expansion of existing capacities for the processing of raw materials," Ciolacu said.

"If we really want to move forward", Romania must go full steam ahead with reforms, the Parliament Speaker concluded. AGERPRES