‘Nine million euros’ losses for Romanian cultivators

Agriculture Minister Valeriu Tabară said that the community financial aid for Romanian cultivators of cucumbers, affected by the blocking exports fue to the epidemic caused by the E. coli bacteria, would be about 247,000 euros.

This although, according to the minister, the estimated losses to date rose to nine million.
‘Community financial aid for Romanian cultivators of cucumbers, according to European regulations, regarding the recall measure it can not be more than 4.6% of the crop s value traded in 2010, which represented 247,000 euros at a rate of 4,1 leu for one euro.’

‘The losses to date estimated by the only organization - Hortifruct that could benefit from the EU support amounts rise to 16,000 tonnes, until the 1st of August, equivalent to 9 million euros,’ Valeriu Tabară said .

The agriculture minister specified that the organization Hortifruct proposed the ministry the distribution of a quantity of 3,500 tons of cucumbers, based on a 1234 article of the 2007 European Regulation, to charities, prisons, schools, public education, holiday camps, but also to hospitals and retirement homes.

In order not to be reticent on such products, each batch that is subject to distribution of ballots will be accompanied by laboratory analysis of the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority.

The Ministry of Agriculture sent letters to several ministries to urgently identify potential beneficiaries of the crops, Valeriu Tabară.

Cucumbers and tomatoes are edible in Romania

Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development wrote a letter to European Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos to review the adoption of exceptional measures that would compensate all the affected manufacturers, not only the cultivators’ organizations.

Valeriu Tabară also said the government intended to discuss the situation in which the Romanian cultivators to see whether they can also get a support of the national budget.
The minister gave assurances that in Romania the vegetable products, the cucumbers and tomatoes, respectively, shall guarantee to consumers.

Valeriu Tabară added that the E. coli agent was on the vegetables’ peel, and to avoid illness some primary hygiene rules must be followed, meaning the proper washing of vegetables and fruits.

Currently there are 4,200 tons of greenhouse cucumbers in stock, which should go to export after there were harvested 200 tonnes each.

According to France Presse, the European Commission announced its intention to propose on Tuesday financial compensation to help fruit and vegetable cultivators whose sales have drastically dropped because of the epidemic caused by the E. coli bacteria.

Translated by: Iulia Florescu
MA student, MTTLC, Bucharest University