Fourteen entrepreneurs in the region of Cahul received grants of 15,000 to 30,000 euros each for private sector development. Grants of up to 20,000 euros each were offered to two non-governmental organizations, and three others received 1620 euros each. The assistance was provided by the European Union as part of the second call for proposals under the EU4Moldova: Focal Regions Program, implemented by UNDP and UNICEF, IPN reports.

“Assistance under the EU4Moldova: Focal Regions Program is accompanied by mentoring and training activities, which will ultimately stimulate job creation and grow local businesses,” said EU Ambassador Moldova Jānis Mažeiks during the a ceremony to hand over the grant certificates.
 
The beneficiaries of the second edition of the business grants program cover various fields of activity: agriculture, tourism, pastry making, tailoring, construction materials, etc. Overall, supported businesses will create more than 100 new permanent and seasonal jobs in Cahul region.

Piotr Mihov from Burlacu village, Cahul district, cultivates six varieties of table grapes and manages 1855 ha of agricultural land, of which only 3.8 ha is drip irrigated. The grant of €29,500, so as his own contribution, will be invested in the purchase of a drip irrigation system for a surface of 30 ha of vines. "Thanks to EU funding, we will solve some essential problems for our company, which is to reduce the dependence of table grapes sector on climate factor, and to increase the productivity of the vineyards. This intervention will bring new jobs, the possibility to increase the salaries of our employees and an increased competitiveness of our product on the international market," says Piotr Mihov.

The total value of grants for the business sector from Cahul and Ungheni regions that will be offered during 2020-2024 in the framework of the EU4Moldova: Focal Regions Programme is about €1.7 million. The NGO sector will benefit from financial and technical support amounting to approx. €90 thousand.