The Republic of Moldova goes through a broad process of modernizing the system of ensuring food safety and Romania, as a member of the EU, is a gate through which the Moldovan producers easier reach the EU market, Gheorghe Gaberi, director of the National Food Safety Agency (NFSA), stated in a news conference held to complete two bilateral Moldovan-Romanian food safety projects, IPN reports.

According to Gheorghe Gaberi, when the Moldovan authorities signed the Association Agreement with the EU, which includes the DCFTA, a number of Moldovan products of vegetal origin reached the EU market through Romanian operators. “We realize how important it is to build here, in Moldova, a food safety control system. This is a priority for ensuring the health and welfare of the people,” stated the NFSA director.

Stelian Caramitru, secretary general at the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority of Romania, said that one of the projects allowed providing specialty assistance in implementing in Moldova a traceability system for vegetal products by offering funds for purchasing the necessary equipment. Through the agency of the other project, the laboratory for determining pesticide residues in plants, soil and products of vegetal origin was outfitted with modern equipment and Moldovan experts were trained in the management of pesticides.

Romania’s Ambassador in Chisinau Daniel Ionita said the projects had a budget of almost €600,000. These were designed to strengthen the institutional capacities of the NFSA in developing an efficient and reliable system for monitoring and reporting pesticide residues and animal diseases.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Vasile Luca said the equipment of the laboratory will enable to meet the European food safety requirements and this will help fulfill the undertaken production- and export-related commitments by guaranteeing the conformity and inoffensiveness of products of vegetal origin.

The two projects were launched in 2010 and 2012.