SocDem leader wants to limit foreigners’ access to buying land in Romania

Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), would like to limit the access of foreigners to buying land in Romania, News.ro reported.

He said that nothing could be done in the case of those who already purchased land but the process needs to be stopped.

“They said Romania’s agriculture is a mess, it is behind, we stand no chance, let’s sell the land as well. We have the law concerning the sale of land at the Chamber of Deputies. We will adopt it. This means I want us to limit the foreigners’ access to buying land in Romania. It is all fine, they can buy it, but they should settle here,” the PSD president said in a TV show, quoted by News.ro.

Dragnea announced a host of measures in agriculture, including a doubling of the subsidies granted to tomato growers, extending the subsidies to other vegetables, and a 5% VAT on bio and traditional Romanian products, Ziare.com reported.

“We will balance the ratio between the Romanian tomatoes, vegetables in general, and the foreign ones. If they enter the country, only the tasty vegetables will get in,” Dragnea said.

He also said the subsidies program will eventually lead to having the local market covered by local products. “It will grow each year, until the Romanian market will be covered by Romanian products. Foreign tomatoes do not have any savor. We have this rich land,” Dragnea said.

The PSD leader went on to praise the qualities of the local soil, and spoke of an increase in local production with the help of an irrigation system.

“We have maybe the richest soil in the world in Romania. Mr Daea [e.n. the agriculture minister] got scared the first time I told him the irrigation system needs to be redone. It required EUR 1 billion. The irrigation system can increase production by 30%, which means a lot to farmers. There is a mafia network of fruits and vegetable imports,” he said, quoted by Ziare.com.

Dragnea also asked for a location for the first store retailing Romanian products to be found this summer. It will be the starting point for the building of a network of stores selling Romanian products.