On the way to the European Union, Moldova’s agriculture will go through great and difficult transformations, given that it is very different from that in most of the EU member states, said expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” Viorel Chivriga. According to him, farmers’ associations must also be involved in the negotiation process, IPN reports.
“The necessary regulations must be made quickly. We have a reliable ally, Romania, and we must use this advantage. They did the same thing, they have experience,” Viorel Chivriga told RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service.
According to him, the problems that should be solved as a priority are the lack of agricultural infrastructure, in particular, irrigation systems, the shortage of labor force, technologies and agricultural industry in rural areas.
The expert says that over the recent decades, the ecological factor in agricultural activity has been ignored and great efforts will be needed to mitigate the consequences. The livestock sector also faces many problems: lack of pastures, markets and domestic production, with a lot of meat being imported. “We need to change the paradigm of agricultural development with a new echelon of people, with other visions, who are cut off from the Soviet school, from the traditional agriculture that is practiced now,” said Viorel Chivriga.
In his opinion, success stories in agriculture must be promoted so that they become examples for others. Also, the transfer of technology and experience from the West will help agriculture to meet EU standards. “The experience of each state that covered the same path as the Republic of Moldova must be studied. We need to see what the mistakes were so that they can be avoided and the homework is done,” explained the expert.
Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry Sergiu Gherciu told the Service that the institution he represents will probably have to amend most of the documents. These cover absolutely all aspects of agriculture: phytosanitary rules, animal health, organic farming, winemaking, etc. “It will be an enormous work, but we will be helped by the foreign partners,” stated Sergiu Gherciu.
According to the official, it is not yet known when and under what conditions the EU pre-accession funds will be allocated, but the experience of the Baltic countries shows that the state institutions should be first ready to absorb them and, secondly, farmers must meet certain conditions to receive them. The money will be allocated for concrete projects, which will then be monitored for a period. So, they must be reliable and have long-term continuity. The agricultural chambers, which will be set up this year, will also have the task of training farmers how to access these funds.
