JICA dispatched Survey Mission in the Agriculture Sector in Moldova

In order to prepare JICA’s future cooperation plan in the agriculture sector, a survey mission led by Mr. Hiroshi Hiraoka, JICA senior advisor, was dispatched to Moldova from 4 to 15 December 2023.

To achieve the objective, JICA Ukraine Office, in cooperation with our counterpart, the Agency for the Development and Modernization of Agriculture (ADMA), arranged tens of meeting appointments by covering the agriculture supply chain from production to selling. The mission members and JICA Ukraine Office, and ADMA colleagues had active discussions with the representatives of the government, governmental agencies, other development partners, fruits and vegetables production/distribution enterprises, producers’ associations, agriculture machinery and equipment companies, farmers and sellers, and a university.

Also, the team executed a series of field visits to interview Moldovan farmers and producers of vegetable, fruit and dairy products, as well as, to study the related infrastructure such as irrigation facilities and their constraints. All went well and gave us real voices that helped us understand the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities in the agriculture sector in Moldova.

One of the major findings are dynamic movements/improvement and support by the government in the private sector to promote the exports of agricultural products to the EU and other countries. On the other hand, unprofitable and inefficient agriculture practices remain throughout the nation that need interventions and support by the government and donors.

Other finding is that many farmers and food processors appreciated JICA’s loan project “Modernization of Agricultural Machineries and Equipment” (MAME) which enabled them to lease/purchase various agricultural machinery at attractive financial terms. Therefore, we confirmed a huge expectation for the continuous cooperation in this field to promote the modernization of agriculture related activities. For this, JICA appreciates ADMA, an implementation agency of MAME, for their strong commitment and relentless efforts.

In order to continue the dialogue with the government based on the relevant information obtained through the mission, JICA will dispatch an agriculture advisor to Moldova in early 2024. Furthermore, JICA would consider further cooperation in consultation with the Moldovan government.