OREANDA-NEWS. August 08, 2014. Producers from Moldova’s agro-food sector and directors of canneries discussed measures for not allowing the bankruptcy of enterprises from the canned foods industry.

At a news conference, the head of the Speranta-Con canned food producers’ association, Ivan Sandiuc, stressed that, given that Russia had put an embargo on the Moldovan farming goods, the government needed to take a string of measures, in order to prevent an imminent bankruptcy of the country’s canned foods industry.

“In this season, about five per cent out of 35 million boxes with peas worth 195 million lei have been exported. The situation is alike in the sector of production of tomatoes or concentrated apple juice. In these circumstances, we demand government’s assistance, in order to set up a working group to study and monitor the situation in the canned foods industry and overcome the negative effects of the embargo,” Sandiuc said.

Attending the conference, the director-general of the Natur Bravo stock company, Vadim Scorobogatco, said that, to back the canned foods industry, it was necessary that loans be lent to the processing industry enterprises, with a preferential interest and a repayment period of up to five years.

“A way out would be the creation of a single fund for crediting and assistance on behalf of the USA and EU. As for the state authorities, we demand exemption from taxes and fiscal payments for at least half a year, with their subsequent payment. A well-set system of providing subsidies, rescheduling of payments to providers of gas, electric energy and diesel oil would help us a lot, and conditions should be created for producers to sell their goods with no intermediaries,” Scorobogatco stressed.

Till 1 August 2014, the members of the canned food producers’ association made canned goods worth about 300 million lei, which represents approximately 30,000 tons, 33,000 square metres of stocking room or 564 carriages.