The EU market is large and any Moldovan producer will find a place on it if they meet the European standards, the executive director of the Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters “Moldova Fruct” Iurie Fală said in a public debate hosted by IPN.

He noted that the EPC Summit hosted by Moldova on June 1 was an important signal for Moldovan farmers. “We must find the possibility of explaining to producers that there is place for Moldovan producers on the EU market if they meet the EU standards,” said Iurie Fală.

Nevertheless, he said the producers should realize that they must obey rules and conditions for entering the EU market. “For example, green agriculture, sustainable development, use of water resources, soil or fauna. This is a lot. From the discussions we have with members of the Association, we know that this is a chance for us as a sector to enter this market and I hope that the negotiations will be opened by the end of this year,” said Iurie Fală.

The executive director of the Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters “Moldova Fruct” also said that agriculture and the development of this sector should be a priority for any government, regardless of its political leanings. This can happen only as a result of a common effort.

“We must all mobilize to be able to implement. We, as a business community, face a shortage of skilled workers. This problem is probably experienced by all the state institutions. It’s time to mobilize. If there are resources, we must come up with concrete things to accelerate the process. This should be a priority for all the governments as agriculture is a multiplying sector – the companies that supply production, processing, logistics, transport and other means have work to do. We know that the share of agriculture in the GDP of the developed states is small. In our country, it exceeds 12%. We must profit from this chance. We had a chance in 1999, then in 2014 and I would prefer for this chance of 2023 to be taken so that we follow a constructive development path,” noted Iurie Fală.

As regards Moldova’s food security, he said that Moldova is a country that can ensure its food security and it is the duty of any government to ensure the population’s access to nutritive, high-quality and healthy food. “We are an agrarian country and can produce more to feed a higher number of people on earth and we must profit from these possibilities,” stated Iurie Fală.

The public debate entitled “EPC Summit – opportunities opened up for high-value agriculture and export of Moldovan products” was the eighth installment of IPN’s project “Support for European Integration by stimulating discussion in the mass media about the European Political Community (EPC) Summit” that is supported by Soros Foundation Moldova.