USAID launches new $50 million Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Project in Moldova.
USAID Moldova announced today a new $50 million investment to develop Moldova's rural economy and strengthen its resilience in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has limited Moldovan exports and threatened the country's economic prosperity, according to a USAID Moldova news release. Through the new Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Project (Proiect de Competitivitate și Reziliență Rurală - PCRR), USAID is planned to continue promoting increased sales and profitability of Moldovan agricultural products as well as increased economic growth opportunities in Moldova. Over the next five years, PCRR will support partners and producers of products that can transform the economy and develop rural communities. This project will help establish new linkages in key agricultural value chains, such as fruit, organic produce, vegetables, honey and wine. At the same time, the project aims to increase productivity, improve agricultural sustainability, stimulate private sector partnerships and investments, and encourage reforms to improve the profitability of Moldovan agriculture. The PCRR is expected to benefit rural communities and help revitalize the tourism sector of Moldova's economy, which is suffering from the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and now the war in Ukraine. The PCRR will increase the capacity of local producer groups and associations, increase opportunities for women and young farmers, and create an enabling environment that will generate new investment and nurture a skilled workforce for some value chains. Through the PCRR, USAID will continue to invest in Moldova's rural areas as engines of economic growth, which in the long term will raise living standards for all citizens. The inauguration ceremony of the Rural Competitiveness and Sustainability Project in Moldova will be held on October 7, in the presence of Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Kent Logsdon, USAID Moldova Mission Director Scott Hocklaender, government members, and business people, agriculture exporters, wine growers, and tourism industry representatives. The event will take place in the afternoon in the village of Cosernita, Criuleni district, on the premises of Elit Fruct Company. The PCRR will be implemented by Chemonics International in partnership with international and local organizations. Additional partners are also planned to support and develop the workforce, such as agricultural educational and research institutions, local NGOs and agricultural associations, as well as the Moldovan government. // 07.10.2022 – InfoMarket
