Agriculture: Fruit and vegetable producers calling for gov't support after crops affected by frost

  Fruit and vegetable producers are calling for government support after horticultural crops were "severely compromised" by two episodes of frost, according to a press release from the "Fruleg-Ro" Association of Agricultural Producer Groups and Organisations.According to the statement, without such support, a wave of bankruptcies is expected in the fruit-growing sector, accompanied by increased unemployment due to layoffs of workers in this branch of agriculture. The association's representatives say that fruit and vegetable producers faced two severe frost events - one in the last ten days of February, and another between April 6 and 11 - which "severely compromised horticultural crops."The public appeal was addressed to the Romanian Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), and the Presidential Administration, in the context of "an agricultural crisis with a direct, major, and long-term impact on Romania's food and economic security."Fruleg representatives proposed several concrete measures, such as: Compensation for affected producers, proportional to actual losses; Easier access to subsidised-interest loans and government-backed guarantees; Tax measures adapted to the disaster situation, including deferrals or exemptions; Application of Law 170/2023, which promises state aid for fruit, vegetable, and potato producers. Additionally, the association is requesting the introduction of parametric insurance into the guidelines for Sub-measure 17.1, based on the European model, to reflect actual weather phenomena rather than just calendar-based data, as well as the urgent access to EU agricultural reserve funds.Fruleg representatives claim that this is the first time so many species, from across the entire country, have been affected simultaneously.According to the association, the proposed measures are aimed at preserving a key sector of the national economy.According to the quoted source, it is evident that domestic fruit production will reach a historic low this year, forcing processors to turn to competing markets at much higher costs.The "Fruleg-Ro" Association brings together the 50 largest fruit and vegetable producer organisations and cooperatives from across the country, which cultivate the vast majority of areas organized into industrial-scale structures.