European Union countries and FAO promote investments in Moldovan agrifood systems

The Agri-food Partnership Platform (APP) was launched in 2023 by the Republic of Moldova and seven member countries of the European Union (EU) with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The objective of the Platform is to strengthen support for the development of sustainable Moldovan agrifood systems and contribute to its integration into the European Union.

The second ministerial meeting was held on 18 January in Berlin, Germany on the sidelines of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2025. Speakers included Cem Özdemir, German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ludmila Catlabuga, Moldovan Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, as well as Raimund Jehle, FAO Regional Programme Leader and Representative in the Republic of Moldova.

The event brought together ministers from Estonia and Lithuania with high-level representatives from France, Latvia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Romania to discuss pathways to channel more investments into the agriculture and food sectors and ways to ensure a more robust support and to facilitate concrete actions for improved sustainability of the food and agriculture sectors of the Republic of Moldova. 

“FAO is continuously supporting the development and consolidation of the Moldovan Agri-food Partnership Platform through providing analytical, logistic, and coordination support,” said Raimund Jehle, as he gave context and background of the Moldovan agrifood sector and its main trends and challenges. 

Cem Özdemir noted that the Republic of Moldova is among the countries most affected by the war in Ukraine. Talking about the future European Union membership of the country, he called for the involvement of rural people and farmers in the accession process to gain their support. 

Ludmila Catlabuga mentioned several benefits of transforming the agriculture sector, including closing the rural-urban income gap, generating higher public savings, and improving food trade balance. “We are grateful for the support and help provided to our country. European Union membership has proven to be a guarantee for stability, peace, and prosperity. We hope that the Platform will be very successful,” she said.

©Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry

The Republic of Moldova, located in South Eastern Europe, has rich black soils and a temperate climate. These favourable conditions allowed the country to rely heavily on agriculture for centuries. Farmland covers 75 percent of the Republic of Moldova’s territory, which is the highest proportion in Europe. The main subsectors of farming are viticulture, horticulture, and cereal production.

Since gaining independence in the early 1990s, the country has shifted to a market economy and has integrated into the global economy. It was officially granted candidate status by the European Union in 2022, which shifted the economic development trends to sustainability and competitiveness through adopting European Union norms and standards including in the agriculture sector. The situation is made more complex because the Moldovan agriculture sector is currently affected by multiple challenges caused mainly by the war in Ukraine and natural hazards (severe drought). 

Increased external assistance and targeted investments into the Republic of Moldova’s agriculture are timelier than ever. 

With the establishment of the Agri-food Partnership Platform a framework was created to allow European Union member countries and relevant international organizations to meet regularly and discuss major policy and economic challenges hampering the smooth development of the Moldovan agrifood sector. In 2025 more European Union member countries and international financial institutions are expected to join and share their expertise and experience in sustainable transformations of the agrifood system for the benefit of the Republic of Moldova and its European Union accession processes. 

FAO’s support to the Republic of Moldova

Since the Republic of Moldova joined as a Member of the Organization in 1995, FAO has been providing development and emergency support to the Moldovan agriculture, for the benefit of people living in rural areas, including smallholder farmers. The activities have helped to spur crop production, ensure sufficient and quality livestock feed, improve farmers’ access to knowledge and finance, improve food safety, and introduce climate-smart and sustainable production methods. The Republic of Moldova participates in FAO’s One Country One Priority Product initiative, aiming to provide new opportunities for the table grape sector of the country.