Agriculture Minister Explains Why There Are Few Moldovan Products in Stores: Imports Are Cheaper

Domestic products remain underrepresented on the shelves of Moldovan stores. According to Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Eugen Osmochescu, the main reason is the competitiveness of local producers. The government cannot require retail chains to give preference to Moldovan goods, as the market operates according to the rules of competition, tvrmoldova.md reports. Osmochescu believes the issue needs to be viewed from the perspective of competition. Imported goods enter stores in much larger volumes and are often sold at lower prices, making them more attractive to both retailers and consumers. “The volumes imported from other countries are much larger and come at a lower price,” the minister said. Under these circumstances, Osmochescu believes the solution should not be to restrict imports, but to increase the productivity of Moldovan producers. The minister said agricultural productivity in Moldova remains below even the lowest level recorded among European Union countries. At the same time, he explained, productivity is not merely the amount of goods produced, but encompasses all components of the production process, from costs to wages. “The only thing we can do, and we have already started doing it, is support local producers by increasing productivity,” Osmochescu said. According to the minister, several forms of support are already available, including government assistance programs and projects aimed at developing entrepreneurship. The problem, he said, is that many producers are not sufficiently aware of these opportunities. Therefore, the agriculture minister intends to place greater emphasis on informing producers about the programs available to them. Another priority outlined by the minister is expanding exports to the European Union market. In particular, producers and exporters dependent on the markets of Russia and Belarus need to be helped to diversify their sales markets. “We need to develop a support program for these producers and exporters so that they can enter the European Union market,” Osmochescu said. The minister believes Moldova can also count on support from the European Union in this process, including through new state aid programs.