Chisinau hosts first business forum on fruit and vegetable producers

Chisinau, 23 November /MOLDPRES/- Over 120 producers, wholesale and retail traders, experts and representatives of importers of supermarket networks from abroad today participated in the first international conference in Chisinau on retail and export of fresh horticultural products in Moldova.

The event was meant to promote the positive ties in the agribusiness sector and to spread the best practices in the marketing, producing and post-harvest management in order to develop the modern trade system and new export opportunities.

Representative of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Andrey Yarmak said “Moldova is a leader among the former member states of the Soviet Union which tries to diversify the sales market of fruits and vegetables”.

“Moldova has a great potential of producing agricultural crops that are in high demand on international markets, but the local farmers have no sufficient financial and material resources to achieve these demands. Also, the Moldovan farmers expect that the state should provide sales market, whereas the modern agriculture is not based on such principles. Farmers must by themselves find potential customers at national and international level, just so they can develop the business,” Yarmak said.

For his part, Agriculture and Food Minister Eduard Grama said “if producers of fruits and vegetables want to get profit for the work, they have to provide high quality of products, as in the European countries the quality is a priority. Also, the farmers must increase the value by improving the production technologies, selecting suitable varieties, processing, packaging and promoting of goods”.

Representative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Victoria Zinchuk said “EBRD provides specialized consultancy to Moldovan farmers in order to have access to any sales market and to meet the international standards.”

The first international conference was organized with the joint efforts of EBRD and FAO in order to increase efficiency of producing and marketing fruits and vegetables on the international markets.

(Reporter P. Beregoi, editor L. Alcază)