The perception that Moldova's economy is based mainly on the activity and development of the agricultural sector is based on a slightly distorted image built up during the Soviet Union. Today, the importance of agriculture for the Moldovan economy is decreasing. This opinion was expressed by Tatiana Cojocari, PhD in sociology, a permanent expert, during a public debate at the IPN news agency.
The doctor of sociology said that the share of agriculture in the Gross Domestic Product is quite substantial, but not the largest. "In 1995 the share of agriculture in the formation of the Gross Domestic Product was almost 30%, in 2009 it decreased to 8.5%, and in 2015 it had a share of 11.7%. In 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, agriculture, forestry and fisheries will have the biggest negative impact on the development of Gross Domestic Product, all three areas accounting for 14.4% of GDP," Tatiana Cojocari pointed out.
"When we refer to Moldova, we perceive it as an agrarian country, whose economy is largely based on the activity and development of this sector. This perception is mainly based on a slightly distorted image, built in the past, during the Soviet Union, when Moldova was labeled as a sunny piece of Moldova, which fed the states of the Soviet Union," said the permanent expert.
Tatiana Cojocari regretted that "too little is being communicated about the real situation of the agricultural sector and the sector itself at the moment, which is causing frustration among the population and more and more questions are being asked: why does Moldova import vegetables and fruit and animal products, why are there so few local products on the shelves of the shops?".
The expert noted that misinformation persists in the public space that affects the situation and exemplified that one of them refers to the fact that once Moldova joins the EU, fruits and vegetables will disappear from the shelves and citizens will consume only imported ones. Instead, says Cojocari, very little is being said about Moldova's ability to meet the needs of the population with quality food products and the factors causing the lack of domestic products on the shelves.
Tatiana Cojocari noted that over the years we have been witnessing a decline in the agricultural sphere and that this is not caused by the European Union, but by Moldova's lack of capacity to capitalize on available resources such as agricultural land, lack of jobs and qualified human resources, and migration of the population from rural to urban areas. The PhD in sociology concluded that all these impediments have a negative influence on the degree of satisfaction of domestic demand with agri-food products.
The public debate on "Moldovan agriculture in the context of European integration" is organized in the framework of the project "IPN News Agency for social cohesion and pro-European Moldova", financed by IMS.
