The World Bank provides grants for groups of agricultural producers within the Moldova Agriculture Competitiveness Project (MAC-P), which will distributed under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry. The money will go to purchase technological and post-harvest equipment. One group of producers will be able to apply for a grant of at most US$350,000, IPN reports.

The project is launched by the Consolidated Agricultural Projects Management Unit. The Unit’s deputy head Olga Sainciuc said at least five founders are needed to create a group of producers. They must have experience of at least three years in horticulture and prove that they made investments in the sector and that they do not have debts to the public budget.

Minister of Agriculture Vasile Bumacov said the project aims to improve the performance of agricultural producers by encouraging the formation of groups of producers. The notion of group of agricultural producers as legal entity does not yet exist in Moldova, but Parliament is to debate a bill that will regulate the activity of these groups. The agricultural producers must set up groups so as to facilitate access to markets.

It is expected that at least 50 groups of agricultural producers will be created within the US$27 million project.