Moldovan famers receive tractors within Japanese-funded project
Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat participated on October 8 in a ceremony of handing tractors, purchased within the Project of Japanese Assistance to Non-privileged Moldovan Farmers (2KR), the government's communication and press relations department has reported.
Farmers received 58 tractors Belarus-82.1. All in all, Moldovan farmers received about 6,500 agricultural machines via this project, that is, an average of four for every populated area.
Kiev-based Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Moldova Toichi Sakata said that the 2KR project has been implemented in Moldova since 2000.
«We are aware of this year's drought that badly hit the Moldovan agricultural sector and we hope that this equipment will back the Moldovan government's efforts to overcome challenges in this sector, and that the agricultural productivity will increase,» the envoy said.
Toichi Sakata underlined that Japan, in spite of the challenges faced, will continue to back Moldova.
Vlad Filat thanked the Japanese government and people for their attitude towards Moldova.
Filat specified that the 2KR project is very important for country, as thanks to it about 18,000 new jobs had been created, and the 6,500 agricultural vehicles allow tilling over 400,000 hectares of farmland.
Filat said that the Moldovan government's goal is to upgrade the country and the modernization of agriculture is the basic pillar in this context.
«Our country and the agriculture sector too are crossing a difficult period because of this year's drought, but we are also facing a new stage, that of perspective. Thus, allocations for the agricultural sector from state budget amount to 722 million lei. Next year we will launch new EMPARD pilot projects and I urge you, dear farmers, to get well prepared to have the necessary capacities to attract the available European funds in 2014,» Filat said.
For his part, Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Vasile Bumacov said that the 2KR project has proved its efficiency all along this period, with the number of applications increasing year on year. Bumacov thanked the Japanese government for backing the Moldovan agriculture and assured the famers that the range of projects aimed at upgrading the farming sector will continue.
At the end, the two officials handed famers the certificates of property for the tractors. For their part, the farmers thanked the governments of the two states for investments made in the agricultural sector and for creating development conditions.
Adapted from Moldpres