Moldova will launch a program of digital transformation of agriculture with a budget of 10 million lei, which will allow Moldovan farmers to apply innovative technologies in their activities.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the pilot program for financing entrepreneurial initiatives in the field of digital transformation of agriculture will be launched in June by the Agency for the Development and Modernization of Agriculture and the Future Technologies Activity Project, which is funded by USAID and Sweden. Within the framework of the program, Moldovan farmers will be able to apply at least 30 modern technologies for developing their business, the list of which is available at: https://bit.ly/3GiAznh. It is worth mentioning that digital technologies can quickly transform agricultural sector, increasing its productivity, competitiveness and sustainability, but the digitization index in agriculture of Moldova is rather low relative to the EU countries (66.8 points out of 100). The main obstacle for Moldovan farmers is the high cost of technology, the low level of technical training, and the underdeveloped data transfer infrastructure. In order to learn about the readiness of farmers to use digital technologies, the Future Technologies Activity Project implemented a study according to a complex methodology, which included questionnaires, expert field visits, interviews with focus groups, study of industry infrastructure. This made it possible to determine the priorities and set of measures within the framework of the project. The study showed that 65% of Moldovan farmers do not consider themselves sufficiently informed and trained to use innovative technologies in agriculture, 80% want to implement modern technologies in their business, but the majority (75%) need access to financing programs on attractive terms, including grants. Sergiu Gherciu, state secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, noted that the agricultural sector is the foundation of the national economy, and the priority is to find new ways to improve the productivity of the industry and to implement innovations so that the sector can be competitive. Digital technologies and IT solutions, according to him, can be a solution for adapting the sector to climate change, increasing its sustainability and productivity. It is worth mentioning that the agricultural sector employs more than 21% of the total workforce in Moldova and export of agricultural products formed about 15% of the country's GDP. As reported earlier, the Future Technologies Activity Project financed by USAID and Sweden supports the development of digital, creative and green economy in Moldova. The budget for 2021-2026 is $32.8 million to promote innovation and new technologies in strategic sectors for Moldova (ICT, mechanical engineering, light industry, creative industries and digital media), contributing to their competitiveness and integration into the global market. // 25.05.2022 - InfoMarket.
