Prime Minister Iurie Leanca today met winemakers and discussed the current problems in the sector. The participants in the event tackled, in particular, the activity of wineries and difficulties emerging while buying grapes.

“We will meet again in two weeks, in order to continue the talks and see what we can do to help you. We do our best in order to avoid the problems in your work. I want to find the best solutions both for you and for the state,” he noted.

For his part, Agriculture and Food Minister Vasile Bumacov said the following issues were on the agenda of talks with wine producers: acquisition and processing of grapes, applying the excise duty on the finished product, promotion of wine products via advertising and possible ways of backing.

In this context, Deputy Finance Minister Maria Caraus said the ministry had worked out a draft law that would remove the excise duty on the raw material, when moving from one plant to another. The document is to be submitted for approval next week.

At the same time, Leanca asked the Finance Ministry to urgently provide information on tax arrears and the period when they were accumulated by producers, to consider possibility of freezing the penalties.

Also, Iurie Leanca instructed the Finance Ministry and Agriculture Ministry to continue the negotiations with the European Investment Bank, with a view of providing preferential credits to winemakers while buying grapes from winegrowers. At the end, the sides set to meet again, to consider solutions due to be elaborated by the two ministries.