A couple from southern Moldova had worked abroad, and three years ago have decided to return home, to their children. The family have built their own apiary and, with the support of the European Union, have started to produce a honey&nuts jam. The business was launched using an EU grant worth 5.5 thousand euros, along with a personal contribution.
UNPD Moldova mentions in a press release, quoted by IPN, that three years ago Gheorghe and Tatiana Cîvîrjic have decided to return from abroad to their native village of Cazaclia, in the Ceadîr-Lunga district. At home, they bought a small apiary from a friend, and today they have over one hundred hives. Unlike other beekeepers in the region, who offer their honey to businesses at wholesale prices, the Cîvîrjic family has founded a farm and are retailing their product. They have created their own brand and sell their honey in amphora-shaped jars, decorated with sackcloth, an example that later has been taken up by other producers throughout the country. To increase sales, the family has launched production of honey-based sweets, such as honey and walnuts, almonds, hazelnut, and dried fruit.
In 2017, the farm applied to a grant contest held by the Support to Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (SARD), funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP. With the help of the EU grant, and some of their own funds, the Cîvîrjic family have procured an automatic bottling line with a capacity of 1000 jars per day, as well as a honey creaming device. Also from the money granted by the EU, the entrepreneur has purchased a platform-trailer, which has been projected and built specifically for hive transportation. Hence, the family has managed to increase their output and to create new workplaces.
Annually, about four thousand tons of honey are produced in Moldova. Businesses buy the honey and export it. Statistics show that 85% of Moldovan honey is exported to the EU. Due to the EU-Moldova Free Trade Agreement, the number of beekeepers and of the volume of honey produced has increased in the last few years. The Cazaclia village alone is home to 30 beekeepers.
