Moldovan-Japanese contract on agricultural consultancy signed yesterday

Chisinau, 16 February /MOLDPRES/- The Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development and Environment (MADRM) and Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) yesterday signed a consultancy contract to assist in implementing the Japanese loan for the modernization of agricultural machinery and equipment.

Consulting services will be provided to the Agency for Agricultural Development and Modernization (ADMA) to turn to good account and effectively implement the preferential credit granted by the JICA to the Moldovan government under the project -Modernization of agricultural machinery and equipment in Moldova -MAME project.

"The preferential and favorable loan agreement, offered by the Japanese government is a great support to local farmers in their efforts to modernize and integrate the value chain, so as to increase added value for marketed products. The constructive dialogue between ADMA and JICS within the consultancy contract will ensure the efficient, fair and transparent implementation of the MAME project, financed from the resources provided by JICA ”, relevant minister Ion Perju said.

In online format, the event was attended by JICA deputy head Ono Hiroe, who congratulated the signatories of the contract for this start of project implementation, wishing them a professional and efficient communication.

The Japanese government will provide a preferential loan to the Moldovan government worth about 18.7 million dollars to facilitate farmers' access to the purchase of agricultural machinery and post-harvest equipment. The loan will be granted for 40 years at an interest rate of 0.1% with a grace period of 12 years. Also, the loan will be offered through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, under the project - Modernization of agricultural machinery and equipment in Moldova.

The MAME project is meant to access financial sources to improve agricultural productivity by providing agricultural machinery and post-harvest equipment for farmers in the country. The direct beneficiaries will be farmers registered as a legal entity, regardless of the organizational form of activity or type of work.

photo: MADRM