OREANDA-NEWS. August 19, 2011. Moldova’s agriculture ministry encourages promotion of high-quality wines and stands for reducing consumption of strong alcoholic drinks by citizens. The agriculture and food industry minister Vasilii Bumacov said it, commenting upon the rise in price for vodka and other strong drinks.

He said Moldova being a winemaking country consumes too much strong alcohol instead of high-quality wines that harm the population’s health less. “We should take necessary measures for Moldovan good wines to be consumed in Moldova as well”, said Vasilii Bumacov. He said he saw no problem in the fact that as a result of the rise in excise taxes on vodka and other strong drinks in Moldova, the price for these beverages will also grow and limit population’s access to them.

The Minister said it is for the for the sake of the whole society to cut consumption of strong alcohol and encourage wine consumption. Vasilii Bumaacov also said he saw no risk of production and sale of contraband strong alcohol on the market because of the rise in prices for it, and stressed that the vodka business wouldn’t suffer because of the measures taken by the authorities to boost wine consumption. It should be noted that prices for vodka in Moldova have growth 60 percent for the last three months.