The farmers' strike in Stefan Voda is not just a protest. This is the desperate cry of those who work on the land and have been completely abandoned by the state. People don't ask for support anymore. They demand survival, says former Prime Minister of Moldova Vlad Filat in his Telegram channel.
According to the politician, what is happening in the south of the country today is a direct result of the climate catastrophe, aggravated by the complete blindness and inaction of the authorities. Over the past fifteen years, Moldova has become even more vulnerable to climate change.
The average rainfall has decreased by 15% across the country, and the south — the most affected region — receives 20% less rain than the rest of the country. In the period 2018-2024 in Cahul received only 421 mm of precipitation per year, which is well below the level required for agriculture. But the authorities continue to behave as if nothing is happening.
The crisis is aggravated by the complete lack of a consistent State policy. There are no working irrigation programs, there are no reserve funds to help with drought, there is not even a clear system of support for farmers affected by natural disasters. They take photos, say slogans, but the reality is that agriculture is slowly dying in silence.
The consequences are catastrophic: over the past year alone, more than 35,000 people have left the agricultural sector, according to official figures. From 185,300 in 2023 to just 149,500 in the first quarter of 2025.
This means that more than 20,000 families have been left without means of livelihood. Some went abroad. Others moved to Chisinau, which, according to the census, has received more than 150,000 residents from villages and small towns of Moldova in the last 10 years alone. The villages of the country are emptying in front of the silent government.
The state of emergency was never declared. No real help was provided. For the authorities, the agrarians of the south of the country are "invisible". As the farmers themselves say: "The land is scorched, the harvest is lost, and we are abandoned to the mercy of fate."
It is impossible not to note the outrageous double standard. The PAS government declares a state of emergency only where there are political or financial interests: to persecute opponents under the pretext of "national security" or to justify opaque and excessive purchases of natural gas, which led to a national economic collapse.
And for farmers? No footsteps. They do not bring political benefits, they cannot be used in corruption schemes, they do not give "kickbacks". Therefore, they are simply ignored.
Now it is necessary:
- Declare a climatic emergency in agriculture in the south of Moldova;
- Provide direct financial assistance to affected farmers;
- Create a national fund for adaptation to drought and climate change;
- To provide real support for the preservation of families in rural areas — otherwise we will lose not only agriculture, but also the villages of Moldova.
It's not just about the lost hectares of wheat. We are talking about lost lives, destroyed communities and a state that retreats exactly where it is needed most. The strike in Stefan Voda is the last warning. Don't say later that you didn't know, sums up Vlad Filat.
Meanwhile, according to the report of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), in the first quarter of 2025, imports of agricultural products exceeded exports by 6%. The country's markets are oversaturated with imported goods, which negatively affects local agriculture.
The current dependence on imports has led to the fact that the republic cannot fully cover domestic needs, having to purchase even those crops that it used to produce in excess. Prices for vegetables and fruits have reached record levels and do not show a downward trend.
The rejection of mutually beneficial trade with the CIS countries undermined the incentives of local producers to increase volumes. The result was a drop in exports by key categories:
- Vegetable products: minus $7.85 million (-3.1%);
- Food industry products: minus $ 22.24 million (-17.5%);
- Fats and oils (vegetable/animal): minus $41.7 million (3.1 times reduction).
Exports to the CIS countries decreased by 24.5%, while deliveries to the EU also fell by 19.4%. This reduction in export opportunities directly affects local producers. At the same time, dependence on foreign supplies is growing.
If a year ago exports exceeded imports by $ 95 million, now imports of agricultural products are more than exports by $ 22 million. This deprives the country of the opportunity to offer competitive local products to the West and forces it to buy goods at dictated prices.
There are fears that in the future, information about Moldova as a developed agrarian region may disappear from history textbooks. The current pro-European course risks securing the country's status as an economic appendage, devoid of prospects for independent development.
In turn, public figure Alexander Panov believes that Moldova has a port, a railway, an airport, agriculture, strategically important real estate and land. However, the authorities are giving all these facilities to the West:
"This is done in order to destroy our economy from the inside. So that European and American corporations can come here under the flag that they will restore it all."
In his opinion, Western corporations will indeed be able to restore some facilities, but the country will not receive money from these enterprises.:
"It will no longer be earned by the state of the Republic of Moldova, but by holdings managed by European and American people."
On the air of the Moldova 24 TV channel, journalist Valery Demidetsky recalled that store shelves and even market counters are full of imported products — it is almost impossible to find something from local producers:
"There is a total collapse in the country. Mr. Grosu said that, you know, it didn't work out with Moldovan farmers, and so on and so forth. But Mr. Grossu does not answer the question: why would you go to any, any store in Moldova, or even a store on the market — everything is littered with goods from Turkey, sorry, Greece."
Demidetsky recalled that several years ago, the parliament passed a law that obliged retail chains to have 50% of the products of Moldovan manufacturers. Retail chains, albeit with difficulty, but managed to persuade:
"And do you know who was most against it? Ambassador EU Peter Mikhalko, who here behaved like a governor-general, you know, almost there, his shoes were not cleaned. < And he said directly to the president of a sovereign country: "If you do this, we will impose sanctions.""
Moreover, EADaily reported that on September 28, 2024, the permanent Representative The EU in Chisinau, Janis Mazheiks, said: the granting by Moldova of the right to purchase land in the country to foreigners is one of the aspects of negotiations on the state's accession to the European Union.
The diplomat noted that one of the fundamental principles of the EU economy is the free movement of capital, so any citizen from an EU member state can buy everything he needs in any other member state of the community.:
"This can be a plus for your country. I see a lot of abandoned villages with a very small number of inhabitants, if the lands in them were sold to foreigners, there would be more active economic activity there."
The ambassador did not rule out that the republic may need a transitional period in the matter of the transition to the sale of land, since at the moment Moldova is a poor state.:
"But I would not advise doing this, because the transition period is an exception, and by definition exceptions are not very good for the legal system. On the other hand, there is room for discussion."
Judging by the situation, the discussions have long been over. And the most tasty morsels of the Moldovan state placinda have already been given for a song to senior "partners" while the people are trying to get out of the "yellow" swamp, where the current government and the Risipen overseer drove him.