At least seven billion lei to be mobilized in coming years for public, private investments in Moldova's agri-food sector

At least seven billion lei will be mobilized in the coming years in public and private investments in the agri-food sector. A minimum of 70 per cent of the resources allocated to investment interventions will be directed toward modernization, processing, irrigation, technological upgrading and added value. The priorities were included in the activity program of the future government, presented by the designated Prime Minister, Vasile Tofan, in parliament today.

The official stressed that, in recent years, the Agricultural Subsidy Fund had grown steadily, and going forward, the approach must be changed by increasing investments in the sector and strengthening farmers’ capacity to build resilience and access new export markets.

“Since 2021, the National Fund for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Environment has increased by approximately 70 per cent, reaching 1.9 billion lei in 2025. More than 8,200 farmers have received support, and 61 per cent of the beneficiaries were micro-farmers. This support was necessary. There have been droughts, frosts, floods, energy shocks. But we cannot remain in a model where drought comes, the harvest is lost, farmers protest and block customs points, and the government hurriedly searches for money for compensation. This is not a sustainable model. By 2029, the programme envisages mobilizing at least seven billion lei in public and private investments in the agri-food sector. A minimum of 70 per cent of the resources for investment interventions will be directed toward modernization, processing, irrigation, technological upgrading, and added value,” stated Vasile Tofan.

In the context, the designated prime minister noted that the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture would be reorganized and prepared to manage European funds. At the same time, the Farmers’ Register and the land parcel identification system must become operational.

“This is the condition for Moldovan farmers to gradually access instruments similar to those available to farmers in the European Union. The change we are pursuing is simple, but also challenging: not only how much we compensate for losses after a drought, but how much we invest, so that the next drought produces smaller losses. Not only how many tons of wheat or fruit we export, but how much we process here and how much income remains in the country. Not only how large the subsidy fund is, but how much productivity and additional income each leu generates,” the official said.

He added that investments in irrigation systems, the development of water capture and storage capacities, the reduction of losses, and the more efficient management of existing resources would be prioritized.

For his part, the designated Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Radu Musteata, said that the ministry’s portfolio was quite important and challenging.

“First of all, I want to dedicate all my experience and motivation, so that I can help reorganize and strengthen the agricultural system of Moldova. And here we need, first and foremost, strong institutions. I know the problem from the grassroots, because in my capacity as Director General of the National Food Safety Agency, for a good part of the time I worked with economic agents, including sectoral associations, in order to identify the necessary resources to strengthen institutions,” said Radu Musteata.

The designated minister noted that the priority areas would be the promotion of domestic products on foreign markets, the modernization of the livestock sector, the modernization of irrigation systems and the strengthening of capacities to access pre-accession funds.