● MONDAY, February 20
Force of Farmers submits demands to Recean Government
Members of the Association “Force of Farmers”, in a meeting with Prime Minister Dorin Recean, formulated their concerns about the dangers to which the agro-industrial sector is exposed. They reiterated that agriculture is one of the strategic areas of the national economy, which ensures almost half of the country’s exports, generating more than 1/3 of the workplaces, primarily in rural areas, and contributing about 2% to the formation of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
● TUESDAY, February 21
Moldova’s tourism sector in 2022 fully recovered after pandemic
The tourism industry of the Republic of Moldova in 2022 had fully recovered after the collapse caused by the pandemic in 2020, said economist Veaceslav Ioniță, expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul”. Statistics show that the number of tourists served by tour operators last year grew by 50% to 477,000, IPN reports.
According to Veaceslav Ioniță domestic tourism in 2022 involved 124,000 tourists, which is three times more than before the pandemic. The pandemic in 2020 offered a unique opportunity to domestic tourism and the local travel agencies managed to maximally take this opportunity. Before the pandemic, the domestic tourism accounted for 15% of all the tourists, while in 2022 the figure was 25% already and the trend was clearly upward.
Fewer loans raised from banks at start of 2023
The year began with fewer loans taken out from banks. The loans released in January totaled 3.127,66 billion, 28.6% on December. According to the National Bank of Moldova, 78.4% of the loans were raised by nonfinancial commercial organizations.
Average annual interest rate on deposits decreased to 13%
The average annual interest rate on deposits attracted in national currency in January declined by 0.22 percentage points on December 2022 to slightly over 13%. The average annual interest rate on deposits in foreign currencies decreased by 0.10 percentage points to 2.36%, IPN reports.
The National Bank of Moldova said that the term deposits attracted in January came to 4.845,4 billion lei, down 27.9% on December 2022. The deposits attracted in national currency represented 68.8% and totaled 3.335,0 billion lei (-16% on a month before).
The term deposits for six to 12 months constituted 46.5% of all the term deposits. This type of deposits attracted from private individuals represented almost 40% of all the deposits.
Private individuals’ deposits last months added up to 3.710,1 billion lei (-21.5% on a month before).
Legal entities’ deposits in national currency and in foreign currencies decreased by 27.8% and by 60.9% respectively, coming to 768.8 million lei and to 359.5 million lei respectively.
The average interest rate on loans provided to legal entities in national currency rose by 1.19 percentage points to 8.08%. The average rate on loans granted in foreign currencies decreased by 0.45 percentage points to 1.26%.
● WEDNESDAY, February 22
NBM in January purchased US$118.2m from interbank market
The degree of covering the net demand of foreign currencies from business entities by the net supply of foreign currencies from private individuals in January represented 143.4% as opposed to 113.0% in December 2022. The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) intervened in the local interbank market and made net purchases totaling US$118.2 million.
● THURSDAY, February 23
Committee to be set up for coordinating agriculture and rural development assistance
A committee will be set up to coordinate the assistance offered by Moldova’s partners for agriculture and rural development, as proposed by the European Union Delegation to Moldova, announced Vladimir Bolea, Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry.
● FRIDAY, February 24
NAER posted fuel price ceilings for next three days
During the next three days, a liter of gasoline COR 95 will cost 24.72 lei, down 0.03 lei on Friday. A liter of diesel fuel will cost 22.11 lei, down 0.06 lei on today.
● SATURDAY, February 25
US offering another $300 million to support Moldovan people
The United States will offer an additional $300 million in emergency aid to Moldova to support the population as well as projects in our country’s energy sector, announced the President’s Office in a press release.
Gastro-wine tourism can transform Moldova into an oasis of experiences, opinion
Moldova has every chance to become a tourist attraction, as the country stands out for its hospitality, authenticity and, above all, for its cuisine and wines. Gastro-wine tourism is an asset that can transform Moldova into a real oasis of experiences, tastes and special places for tourists, but also for Moldovan citizens, says Mariana Iurcu, a specialist at the Călăraşi District Tourism Resource Center and also a museographer.
Moldova to borrow $100 million from JICA
Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will offer Moldova a $100 million loan. The announcement was made by Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, during the G7 Summit, which took place online and was attended by the leaders of the G7 countries and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
