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Without a multi-sectoral approach to agriculture, we will become a sales market even larger than today (official)
Romania can turn into a sales market even larger than at present, if we fail to have a multi-sectoral approach to agriculture and food industry, the Chair of the Presidential Commission for agricultural development public policy, Valeriu Steriu told recently AGERPRES, in an interview.
The official also stated that we would not be able to have competitive productions in agriculture without a proper education of young people in the country, without a land reform that would merge the land currently divided into thousands of small farms or without rejuvenating the farmers.
He admitted that one of the areas where Romania has performed and by which it is known to the world as a serious producer is the wines sector, this actually being the best organized in terms of the absorption of EU funds, but that we should not stop here, there are many other products we could achieve excellence.
Valeriu Steriu reminded that, except during 2002-2004, when following the negotiations with the EU, several hundreds of laws were adopted, which transposed the European legislation in Romania, there was no macro-economic approach to the rural sector, allowing agriculture to be treated in terms of public policies, as a whole, and not just as a sum of its parts.
The main objective remains the one linked to the appropriate harnessing of resources (soil, water, financial and human), so Romania to secure, via its agriculture and food industry, food to nearly 40 million people, Steriu stressed, adding that all the Romanian products need to be supported and promoted by the state. Same as you fight for a machine-making plant or a multi-million euro investment in IT, for instance, state representatives should fight also for the Romanian products, he said.
In what concerns the high level of evasion in the field, Valeriu Steriu believes that, without a policy to encourage SMEs in rural areas, promoted both by central and local authorities alike, one cannot speak about reducing evasion soon.
As to conclude optimistically, Valeriu Steriu said that the cheese of Nasal, the plum jam, the buffalo milk, but also dishes 'unique in Europe' as leek stew, 'tochitura' (made of cubes of meat, eggs and polenta) and 'piftia' (aspic) are some of the Romanian products he prefers, that should be labeled as specific Romanian in the UE.