Moldova needs investment to develop its agriculture, and despite all the troubles it has brought, the pandemic has also created opportunities in this respect, says President Maia Sandu.
“Until recently, when people talked about Moldova they only talked about embezzlement, the bank fraud and many other nasty things. But nNow we are trying to restore our reputation and attract foreign investors, including in the context of this pandemic, which has created many problems, but also created some opportunities”, said Maia Sandu during a press conference on Friday.
The president explained: businesses are trying to shorten production chains. In order to reduce the risks of disruption or transport impediments, several European companies are looking to bring production processes closer.
Sandu says Moldova is close enough to the EU to benefit from these processes. “What we need to do is significantly improve the business environment. And that is what the Government needs to do. We also need to implement the justice reform, this is very important for investors, and speed up the reforms in education, so that we have a competitive, well-prepared workforce that can help us attract these investments,” said Maia Sandu.
Asked about the cases where farmers in the north had to abandon their crops to rot, the president commented: “We should ask ourselves why the processing industry has remained underdeveloped. And part of the answer is monopolies. Some companies tried to come and open businesses and were not allowed. The solution is to ensure equal rules for all and create conditions for new investments. Several foreign investments have recently been announced, including in the processing of agricultural products, in the south of the country. And several major investment projects will be announced. Our agriculture will only be able to develop insofar as the processing industry develops as well”.
The president also spoke about the agro-hub solution, where small producers could sell their production. “Many small producers cannot reach the export market, no matter how good conditions we have from the EU. And the Government will insist on increasing export quotas so that we can export more. But for small producers, for many of them, it is difficult to reach the foreign market on their own. And this is what we expect from the Government. Until next year, we hope to have many more processing companies and I really believe that this is possible,” said Maia Sandu.
