The Romanian Government plans to change legislation allowing only local fruit and vegetables producers to sell their produce in local market, thus eliminating the intermediaries who use false producer papers and are engaged in black market trade.

A new law project allows only Romanian individual producers to sell their own products in fruit and vegetable markets. Companies producing or importing fruit and vegetables will also be allowed to sell in markets, but in areas marked as such.

If individuals sell imported produce as if its was local, they will pay a fine between RON 1,000 and RON 3,000 (some EUR 220 and EUR 660). Companies which sell outside the marked areas will pay fines between RON 3,000 and RON 5,000 (EUR 660 to EUR 1,100). Market administrations will also be fined if they fail to correctly lease stands, with fines going up to EUR 4,400.

For failing to show transport papers for their goods, producers will pay between RON 3,00 and RON 5,000.

Each producer will have to hold a special producer book which will include security elements and which will be stamped by the city hall and the respective producers' association. It will include data about the farmed area, the types of fruit and vegetables and the estimated production. Producers can transport fruits and vegetables for their own consumption without the need of transport papers for up to 50 kilos.

The Government is trying to put a stop to the black market for fruits and vegetables, as sometimes intermediaries raise the price up to two fold after buying from the primary producers. Currently city halls across Romania issue producer papers at large, without checking whether the person owns land and if it is farmed, according to the law initiators.

The lack of official papers for most of the produce causes a loss of over EUR 1 billion for the Romanian state.

Romania imported EUR 4 billion worth of food products last year, up almost 13 percent on the previous year.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: arhivafoto.ro)