Switzerland supports Moldova's Agriculture Ministry to elaborate new economic opportunities

Chisinau, 14 February /MOLDPRES/ - The government of Switzerland brings its contribution to the creation of new economic and inclusive opportunities in Moldova. In this respect, an Agreement on the implementation of the second phase of the project, Opportunities through Technologies and Innovation in Moldova (OPTIM), was signed between the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry (MAIA) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SCD) in Chisinau on 13 February.  

To implement the project, the government of Switzerland allocates a budget of about six million Swiss francs (6.1 million euros). ‘’The OPTIM project will make a significant change in the agricultural sector. We deem it as vital for the farmers to have access to knowledge, resources and technologies, in order to manage the risks related to the climate changes. We would like the OPTIM project to be part of the process of organization of Agricultural Chambers. Also, another important dimension is the creation of programmes dedicated to women, which contribute to the agricultural value chains,’’ Agriculture Minister Vladimir Bolea said.    

The main provisions of the project include: development of inclusive economic opportunities from the social viewpoint; enhancement of the competitiveness of the private sector from Moldova through investments in innovating business, services, technologies and educational solutions; facilitating the access to high-value markets and to qualified labour force; backing the private sector in exploring the mechanisms of stimulating the relevant services for accessing more attractive markets and with higher value through investments in innovation business, services, technologies and educational solutions, as well as through the improvement of the cooperation between the public and the private environments.  

The implementation of new technologies which are to generate new opportunities for people from Moldova is, according to Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova Guido Beltrani, one of the key priorities of the OPTIM project. ‘’The innovations in the agriculture sector are quite necessary. They contribute to the enhancement of the productivities, to the cutting of costs and to the improvement of the quality of the final products. Due to the innovations, including the ones supported by OPTIM, Moldovan farmers can cultivate more highly qualitative products, increase their incomes and export to high-value markets,’’ Guido Beltrani said.   

The OPTIM project was launched in 2019. Backed by Switzerland, it promoted the innovations which allowed farmers to use drones for fertigation and to better use the techniques of testing the soil and advanced monitoring of the weather, in order to optimize the agricultural inputs and promoted the cooperation within the value chains. In continuation, the project will contribute to the improvement of the supply of jobs and to the exploring and implementation of mechanisms which stimulate the supply of essential services for the private sector. The project will also facilitate the assistance in the elaboration of policies for the improvement of the business environment in the agro-food sector.