Biggest market from southern Moldova opened in Slobozia Mare village

Chisinau, 8 October /MOLDPRES/ - A cross-border market with modern hall was inaugurated in the Slobozia Mare village, southern Cahul district, on 7 October. This is one of the biggest markets in south Moldova and the only one due to be opened seven days out of seven ones. Residents of the region, including from Romania, will be able to buy here milk and dairy products, fresh meat, vegetables and fruits, cereals and nuts, leather and fur products, workmanship articles, all produced by those 1,400 entrepreneurs and householders from the village.  

The market, made in rustic style, with a modern hall, was constructed from the scratch with support provided by Switzerland within the project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Migration and Local Development (1.1 million lei) and the governmental programme DAR 1+3 (250,000 lei), as well as the contribution of the Cahul district council (300,000 lei), Slobozia Mare’s mayoralty (837,000 lei) and those 150 Moldovans born in Slobozia Mare, who settled in the Diaspora (177,000 lei). The overall cost of the works is of 2.6 million lei.  

„The Diaspora Relations Bureau has a great opportunity to cooperate with communities from Moldova through the governmental programme DAR 1+3. We appreciate this intervention, especially for the fact that it brings us closer to the native residents who left abroad, who are Diaspora members, always ready to contribute to the local development and, respectively, of the country,’’ the head of the Diaspora Relations Bureau, Nadejda Zubco, said.  

The market, including the modern agro-food hall, has a capacity of 20 places for the sale of meat and dairy products, 20 markets for trade in trucks/vehicles, 25 places at market stalls, five booths for industrial products. Thus, producers from Slobozia Mare will annually attract about 12,000 people from Moldova’s southern region and Romania.    

„I am extremely surprised to see the so nice results achieved on such a short period here, in Slobozia Mare. This tells us about the local actors’ will to joint their efforts for the good of the people from the community. I am happy to find out that the support provided by the government of Switzerland is multiplied locally, including with the involvement of native people. All these bring results which exceed by far the expectations initially established in the case of those 120 initiatives carried out with the support of the Migration and Local Development project,’’ the director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova, Caroline Tissot, said.    

Slobozia Mare is one of those 25 settlements backed by the Switzerland-Moldova Migration and Local Development project for the development of local economies. The economic development of the Slobozia Mare village is carried out based on the roadmap on local economic development 2019-2022, elaborated by the local business, in partnership with the local authorities and the native residents who left abroad. All these according to a well-established methodology of the Switzerland-Moldova Migration and Local Development project.  

„This market is a strong catalyst for the local economy from Slobozia Mare – generating better opportunities to sell local products and of decent incomes for families, as well as revenues for the local budget. Moreover, this market has become a regional and cross-border attraction for buyers, tourists and visitors, encouraging the local tourism in Moldova’s southern region,’’ UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova Dima Al-Khatib said.    

Photo: UNDP