Moldovan farmers' groups to receive over six million dollars to create post-harvest infrastructure

Chisinau, 30 July /MOLDPRES/ - Twenty six groups of producers will receive grants worth over six million dollars to carry out projects, the overall cost of which stands at 15 million dollars. The projects were accepted for financing within the post-harvest grant programme ”Access to sales markets” of the Moldova Agriculture Competitiveness Project.

Acting Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Ion Sula made a statement to this effect at a ceremony of handing over certificates confirming the earmarking of grants to the producers' groups.

”We hand over the confirmation certificates to another seven groups of producers, who persisted in making investments of about 4 million dollars, of which 1.6 million dollars are provided as grant,” Sula said.

The mentioned groups of producers participated in the third contest of projects, held in April-June 2015. Sixteen files have been submitted in all, of which 14 were approved for financing by the Evaluation and Selection Commission.

”The post-harvest infrastructure in Moldova will be enriched with another seven refrigerators with a storage capacity from 170 up to 1500 tons in Ialoveni, Causeni, two in Edinet, Cahul, Ungheni and Hincesti. In particular, we are happy for projects, which also provide, besides refrigerated warehouses, the creation of packing rooms, such as the project of the Aspect Fruct cooperative from Edinet,” Sula said.

The "Access to sales markets" grants programme of the World Bank's Moldova Agriculture Competitiveness Project was launched in 2014, with three rounds for selecting files organised. Twenty nine farmers' companies participated in the contest, 26 groups from 14 districts were accepted for financing. Data put out by the Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture shows that 13 farmers producers' groups have already received the non-reimbursable financial support in amount of 3.2 million dollars, immediately after they provided the confirmation of their own contribution to implement the investment projects.

(Reporter V. Bercu, Editor L. Alcaza)