ALEX JURCONI, PRO AGRO: "The government must protect farmers from Russia's sanctions"

The institutions of the state must take concrete measures to protect farmers from harmful foreign factors, such as the embargo imposed by Russia, which can affect their activity and output, said Alex Jurconi, the president of the PRO AGRO National Federation.

In his opinion, the European-level embargo on Russia has put the Romanian animal breeding market in a difficult situation as well: "The government must take action, intervene in the economy and in the animal breeding industry. Under exceptional circumstances, like the situation that exists between Russia and Ukraine, the government can take a number of measures such as profit tax exemptions or cutting the VAT rate to see how the market reacts".

The president of PRO AGRO mentioned the horse meat row of February 2013, which has diminished the chances of Romanian producers exporting their products. In his opinion, the bluetongue disease has also contributed to the blocking of any type of livestock transit, and the few bovines and sheep that we export follow a long and difficult run, which engenders high costs, causing Romanian products to become uncompetitive on the international markets.

Mr. Jurconi claims that any investment project in the animal breeding industry must be accompanied by concrete action in the market. The representative of PRO AGRO emphasized the fact that the state should not remain indifferent and hope that the market would reach equilibrium on its own, because that will not happen, as the American pressure in Romania is increasing.