Fifty stands with different national organic products will be installed at 32 embassies of Moldova abroad and at head offices of partner and international organizations. The initiative was put forward by the Investment Agency on the occasion of a year of work and is designed to complement the global organic offer, IPN reports.
The stands will contain processed food products, dried fruit and vegetables, tees and cans, honey, walnuts, cold-pressed oils, wines, cosmetic products, etc. These were certified as organic products and were selected according to the regulations worked out by the Investment Agency. Embassy officials in charge will have the task of updating the country’s annual organic offer. As they are mobile, the stands could be moved to take part in relevant foreign exhibitions and fairs.
According to Rodica Verbeniuc, director general of the Investment Agency, the initiative is a new platform for promoting an eco-friendly Moldova that aligns itself with the international trends. This is an instrument that incorporates practically the whole offer of organic products with export potential. The project is a relevant example for supporting the sectors with potential to generate value added exports and to attract foreign capital.
Igor Goma, who runs a business that manufactures oils, seeds, flour and other products, said their company started to grow organic products in 2011. The business began to recently make products from sea buckthorn and cold-pressed oils. They exported to Romania, but during the past two years tested the products mainly on the domestic market.
Maria Borta, director of a cosmetics company, stated that even if the firm signed contracts worth millions of lei with such countries as Taiwan and the Netherlands, it began to develop on the domestic market only in 2012, after a period of stagnation. Now the national consumer is a priority, but the company also tends to export as the factory has a very big production capacity. Among the impediments they encounter are the considerable efforts they have to make to conduct market studies and the very expensive advertisements that made the company take part in exhibitions to popularize its products.
Irina Medvetski, marketer at a national winery, said the presence on the stand at embassies is a direct promotion instrument that will definitely result in larger sales at their company, especially because the winery produces mainly red and white dry wines. So far the company exported in such countries as Canada, the U.S., China, Belgium, Portugal and Romania.
Veaceslav Dogari, communication manager at another winery, noted the foreign markets will help increase sales even if their products are popular at home and abroad. The company annually wins medals at international contests and its products are appreciated in many countries. This way, of ten million bottles produced yearly, 4.5 million are exported, primarily to Romania and Russia.
In the course of a year, the Investment Agency took part in 16 diplomatic missions in eight countries and interacted with over 5,000 potential investors. Also, over 20 business delegations from different countries visited Moldova to assess its attractiveness to investment.
