Tractors bought under 2KR Project handed to Moldovan farmers

A new installment of 58 tractors bought under the 2KR Project were handed to Moldovan farmers in a ceremony on Monday. The tractors were bought from the ninth tranche – totaling $1.6 million – of this Japanese Government-funded scheme, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Project enables beneficiaries to pay for the equipment in installments and without paying VAT. Officiating at the ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to Moldova and Ukraine Toichi Sakata noted that since the Project started in Moldova 12 years ago, roughly 6,000 units of farming equipment have been delivered to our country. “Moldova is now enduring the consequences of this year's drought. We hope that this equipment will help your country overcome them. Although Japan is itself facing some hardships in the aftermath of last year's devastating earthquake, our country will further support Moldova”, stated the diplomat. Seeing in the the Japanese project “a gesture of friendship”, Prime Minister Vlad Filat expressed his recognition to the Japanese people for the assistance offered in a period when Moldova has fallen on hard times. “We have an objective: to modernize the Republic of Moldova. In this context, modernizing the agricultural sector is a general objective”, stated the Prime Minister. Vlad Filat used three figures to highlight the achievements of the 2KR Project: over 6,000 units of modern farming equipment, 18,000 new jobs, 400,000 hectares of land worked with the purchased equipment. After handing the keys to the farmers, the Prime Minister delightedly remarked that the farmers were very young, most of them aged between 19 and 26 years. Since the Project started 12 years ago, 3,000 Moldovan farmers have bought equipment under the Project, meaning that each village in Moldova received an average of four such units, including tractors, plows, seeders and irrigators.