Romanian Farmers Put Off Planned Protests Until Early Oct For Talks With New Minister

"We are giving the new minister one month to see if he can meet our demands. If out demands are not be solved, then we shall continue protest actions," Agrostar head Niculae Stefan said in a press release Tuesday.

Agrostar said the first round of talks between farmers' representatives and the minister took place Monday, at the ministry's headquarters.

Farmers demand legislation and the European Commission's approval for state aid for the farming and forestry sectors, subsidies per head of livestock and per hectare, the irrigation system's restoration and improvement, support for investments in storage silos, legislation providing compensation for disaster damage and the introduction of genetically modified plants.

They also demand solid measures to support the vegetable, fruit, fishing, beekeeping and poultry breeding sectors, as well as Romanian producers of tractors and farming machinery, a fiscal policy to successfully reduce the black market and stimulate the introduction of local agricultural production on the legal market, supporting farmer organizations' participation in workgroups in Brussels to better defend their interests, the promotion of "green" energy produced from renewable sources, measures strengthening the role of social dialogue and observance of the state's obligations to producers.

Last week, several hundred farmers formed picket lines at prefects' offices in towns across Romania, demanding increased state support for agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry.

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