PHOTO Entrepreneur from north Moldova district has business in medicinal plants sector

The cultivation of medicinal plants becomes ever more attractive for farmers, due to the increased interest of the consumers in natural and beneficial products for health. The medicinal plants are, in general, ecological or biological crops, as the use of pesticides is now allowed for these crops. The medicinal plants are used on therapeutic goals and provide significant opportunities on the agricultural market.    
Entrepreneur Ion Cebotari from the Curesnita Noua village, Solcani commune, northern Soroca district, member of the Dniester Hills Local Action Group (GAL), cultivates bio medicinal plants on an area of ten hectares. Through the LEADER Programme, Ion got financing to modernize the technologies of production and drying of plants collected.  Although he already exports plans to France and Germany, the entrepreneur is set to go further and set up a tourist halting place of bio plants, where people interested will be able to admire flowers, to collect and drink teams with plants picked by them.        
Anyone can lay the foundations of a business with medicinal plants. Moldova provides friendly soil- and climate-related conditions to this end, but only a prosperous business needs proper equipment.    
Ion Cebotari: I have been dealing with bio medicinal plants for seven years already. We grow such plants as marigold, corn flower, common mallow, walnut tree leaves, which we dry and export to France, as well as bird cherry leaves.  
The development of his business was possible due to the support provided by the Local Action Group a member of which it is, through the LEADER Programme. This rural development programme provided him access to financing for modernizing the technologies of production and drying, necessary for tapping the European markets.  
     
 Ion Cebotari: We have great plans. We grow BIO medicinal plants on an area of ten hectares, but we want to create also a tourist halting place in BIO flowers. For this to be more unique, original. For this to be tourism at a more unusual halting place, both for Moldova’s citizens and for those who visit the country. We want the guests to be able to see how our plants grow, pick them and even drink a tea from flowers picked with their own hands.    
  
 The LEADER programme is a rural development facility, managed by the Agency of Intervention and Payments for Agriculture (AIPA) and the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry (MAIA). The first edition of the programme took place during 2022-2023, including with the support of EU4Moldova: Local Communities programme, during which over 800 projects were implemented in GAL communities.   
   
 In the context, Deputy Prime Minister, Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Vladimir Bolea said the state would do its utmost to ensure the functionality and financing fit for the LEADER National Programme.  
Vladimir Bolea:  In 2025, we will support all projects for GALs. The LEADER Programme, even if it does not belong to me, but I took it over, is a good project in terms of association and is an extraordinary model of association between the local public administration and the dimension of business people; I believe that this is something worth being multiplied. We have now 51 GALs, which comprise about 50 per cent of Moldova’s population and about 50 per cent of the current mayoralties, which is an exemplary model of association. We are in advanced discussions with the European Union’s Delegation and other partners for budgetary support for the 2025 year, which sees also the support of the LEADFER Programme. All these together will make our lives more interesting, nicer and our villages will change and develop.    
Correspondent: Lilia Grubii