The Ministry of Agriculture of Romania and representatives of major agricultural organizations reached an agreement on Monday, satisfying several demands of farmers who had been protesting for six days and blocking the border with Ukraine.
As reported by Euractiv, Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu stated that the agreement covers 13 demands of the farmers, with ongoing discussions to find a compromise on the remaining demands.
The government pledged to fully subsidize all agricultural excises until 2026 and immediately implement provisions for subsidized interest rate loans.
According to Marius Micu, one of the farmer representatives in the negotiations, the agreement does not mean an immediate end to the protests, as their duration may be influenced by future negotiations with carriers, which will continue until Thursday.
Micu added that it is important for the government to permit a departure from mandatory crop rotation rules and 4% fallow land on each farm by January 31.
Romanian farmers, among other actions, had blocked the movement of trucks at the border with Ukraine.
Additionally, the government accepted requests for compensation for losses caused by imports from Ukraine. Measures include clear labeling of grain and other goods, as well as electronic monitoring of seals using GPS at the Constanta port.
Barbu denied that Romania intends to impose tariffs on grain imports from Ukraine.
