Prince of Wales foundation to help Romanian farmers sell bio products abroad

The Prince of Wales Romania Foundation will launch a new project, aimed at helping farmers in mountain areas to develop their products and find new markets, in Romania or abroad. A ten-month pilot project will have the foundation team draft a map of producers in the Danube Delta, Maramures, Banat & Transylvania and check the quality of their bio products, said Aura Woodward, executive director of the foundation, quoted by Agerpres. Specialists from Romania, Italy, and UK will then check the sugar, salt contents, labeling and packaging, in order to identify the first five exceptional such products that can be sold in Romania and abroad, she added. Prince Charles of Wales, the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom, has halped the foundation raise the money needed to kick off the pilot project. The Prince, currently on a private visit to Romania, could visit a Greek-Catholic church in Teiuş, in central Romania’s Alba country, Mirel Hălălai, the Teiuş mayor, told News.ro. The information has not been officially confirmed. “He is rumored to come to Teiuş and to visit the Greek – Catholic church. It will be an exclusively private visit. We will have an official confirmation in the coming days,” the mayor said. The church is a historical monument and dates back to the 16

th

century. It was built by the ancestors of the Raţiu family. He also is expected to tour three medieval churches that have been vandalized, with a view to restore them, according to AP. On May 31, Prince Charles paid a visit to the Prince of Wales Romania Foundation, which is headquartered in the Brasov county village. Here, the prince met with members of Pro Silva, a European organization supporting responsible forest management. The Prince of Wales expressed in recent years his concern about the illegal exploitation and deforestation of forests in the Carpati mountains, considered the last remaining wild areas in Europe. Pro Silva is set to open a branch in Romania as well. Prince Charles also met in Viscri, where he owns a house, with several local food producers and locals. Prince Charles was in Cluj-Napoca, in western Romania, on May 29 to receive the Doctor Honoris Causa title from the Babeș-Bolyai University. On May 30 he visited Valea Zălanului, in Covasna country, one of the properties he owns in Romania. The prince also has properties in Viscri (Brasov county), Mălâncrav (Sibiu), and Breb (Maramures). While in Cluj-Napoca, he spoke of the reasons that bring him to the country, including its cultural and nature patrimony and its traditions. Prince Charles reveals what brings him to Romania