Agriculture is a major sector in the economic fabric of all Eastern partnership countries. It employs a large part of their population and, after decades of difficulties, it still has a vast potential for development, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle said in the Eastern Partnership Ministerial Conference on Agriculture and Rural Development held in Chisinau, IPN reports.

“Some Eastern Partnership countries are blessed: Ukraine has long been the “wheat barn” of Eastern Europe and is richly endowed with “chernoziom” (black soils), which are the best soils in the world for agriculture. Moldova’s sunny and temperate climate combined with its fertile soil makes it ideal for agriculture and food processing. But a good resource base alone is not enough,” said the commissioner.

According to Štefan Füle, the “Economic Stimulation in Rural Areas” program, which has been underway in Moldova since 2010, has proven to be a useful instrument of job creation in Moldova's provinces. Agriculture and rural development has been identified as a priority sector for the next multi-annual programming period and an ENPARD budget support programme is currently planned for 2014.