The Czech Republic is investing 1.5 million euros in improving food safety in Moldova.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Moldova announced this, noting that, in particular, our country will receive assistance in the field of phytosanitary within the framework of a new project worth about 1.5 million euros, financed by the Czech Republic. This is provided for by a memorandum of agreement signed on January 23 between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry of Moldova, the National Food Safety Agency, the Central Phytosanitary Laboratory and the Central Institute for Supervision and Testing in Agriculture of the Czech Republic (ÚKZÚZ). “The year started with good events and new cooperation. This step, supported by the Czech government, is important for successfully strengthening our capabilities in the field of phytosanitary control,” said Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea. According to him, the project will bring benefits in terms of improving control and testing capacity in agriculture and will have a positive impact on food safety and the agricultural sector as a whole. The main goal of the project is the effective application of preventive measures that will lead to minimizing or eliminating the negative impact of phytosanitary problems, including reducing the risks of the spread and introduction of pests into the territory of Moldova. The direct beneficiaries of the project will primarily be economic operators in the agricultural sector of Moldova, who will receive both a regulatory body with improved capabilities to detect and assess the impact of pests, and laboratories with enhanced analytical capacity, thanks to which they will be able to conduct accurate analyzes using fast, highly sensitive and absolutely proven diagnostic methods. Finally, the beneficiaries of the project will be citizens of Moldova in general, as well as citizens of countries importing Moldovan agricultural products, who will consume harmless agricultural products of the highest quality. The entire country's economy will indirectly benefit, since under better phytosanitary conditions, agricultural products will become more competitive both in the national and foreign markets. The project will support the development of the phytosanitary field in Moldova, including through the provision of modern laboratory equipment and information systems, training of laboratory staff and the National Food Safety Agency inspectors, assistance in harmonizing the legislative framework in this area, strengthening the capacity of institutions from the institutional system, as well as other important activities. The goal of the project is to promote the creation of a phytosanitary system, state control and official procedures related to European Union standards, which will allow the production of healthy planting material in our country. Thus, Moldovan farmers will have access to materials for propagating plants without harmful organisms and diseases. The results of the project will be: creation of a phytosanitary register; strengthening the control system in the phytosanitary sector; harmonization of the national legislative framework in the phytosanitary field with EU legislation; improving the testing capacity of the Central Phytosanitary Laboratory and preparing new diagnostic methods for accreditation in accordance with the standard SM SR EN ISO/CEI 17025:2018. // 23.01.2024 - InfoMarket.
