Young Moldovan starts business with medicinal plants with help of grant on behalf Organization for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development

Chisinau, 11 July /MOLDPRES/ - A young 22-year-old man, who has recently got a degree in food products’ technology, Cristian Melnic, for two years already has been cultivating medicinal plants on hills from Dobrogea (Chisinau municipality) and Climautii de Jos (northern Soldanesti district).   

To develop the business, in 2021, Cristian applied for the Start for Youth programme, implemented by the Organization for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM) and got a grant worth 180,000 lei (about 9,000 euros). The money was invested in technological equipment and the enterprise it manages produced an assortment of 21 naturist remedies fabricated out of medicinal plants, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.    

For the time being, the young man sells his products on social networks; yet, in the next years, he would like to distribute them in drug stores and even to export them to the European market.  

The idea of business with medicinal plants appeared in 2016 and was backed by his father, PhD in biological sciences, who gave a helping hand through innovative technologies of cultivation and selection of medicinal plants.

Presently, another about 60 species of medicinal plants are grown on plantations of the Melnic family. They are cultivated in system of ecological agriculture, without herbicides, with mineral fertilizers. Also, the plans are grown multi-annually, without agricultural equipment.     

This year, ODIMM made available to young people more financial instruments of support for business, among which the Start for Youth: a sustainable business at home state programme. The government has recently approved the extension of this programme for another three years and the non-refundable financial support was increased up to 200,000 lei. Thus, the state’s financing reaches 70 per cent of the investment project’s value.    

Photo: Government