MOLDOVA PLANS TO INVEST 14.4 BILLION LEI IN HORTICULTURE UNTIL 2025

Moldova will invest 14.4 billion lei (US$840 million) in the development of horticultural sector until 2025, 29.6% of which – in the form of state subsidies.

At the presentation of the 2019-2025 program for sector development on Tuesday, the document authors said that the planting 23.4 thousand hectares of perennial plantations will demand 4.5 billion lei, the development of irrigation infrastructure – 1.8 billion lei, extending of the area of greenhouses by 360 ha – 1 billion lei. Most of funds should be invested in the postharvest infrastructure (6.9 billion lei), half of which should come in the form of subsidies.

It is supposed that by 2025 the capacity of cold stores in Moldova to 589 thousand tons. This will demand around 3.7 billion lei of private and public investments. Experts stress that without extension of refrigeration capacities it will be impossible to ensure stable growth of exports, which should increase to US$618 million in 2025 from US$224 million in 2017.

It is expected that the growth of sector will reach 14.2 billion lei in 2025 from 9.1 billion in 2017, while the profit –to 8.9 billion lei from 4 billion.