Local farms produce just over 5% of the milk consumption in the Republic of Moldova, which amounts to 30,000 tons out of a total demand of 568,000 tons, stated the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Vladimir Bolea. The official emphasized that recent efforts have focused on the development of the livestock sector to enhance the quality and quantity of dairy products. The Association of Milk Producers Farmers asserts that investments are necessary, Radio Moldova reports.
The livestock sector has been one of the most neglected over the past years, mentioned Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea. According to the official, in the face of low milk production, the institution aims to develop the sector through various subsidy programs.
“We have an extraordinary deficit of milk in the Republic of Moldova. We pay 3 lei for each kilogram produced. We have reached paying 86 million lei in subsidies per kilogram of milk to farms in the first 6 months, and we have a quantity of 28,000 liters of domestic product, while the demand is 568,000. Therefore, our goal is to produce at the farm level in the Republic of Moldova a minimum of 160,000 liters of milk by 2025, at least 40% of our demand. We won’t be able to close imports, but we must do everything possible to have our domestic production,” said Vladimir Bolea.
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Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture launched the Investment for Governance, Growth, and Resilience in Agriculture Project, through which a grant program of up to 1 million dollars per beneficiary will be implemented, assisting livestock breeders in increasing their productivity. Ludmila Catlabuga, the executive director of the Association of Milk Producers Farmers, stated on Radio Moldova that such projects are welcomed.
“This project has a tempting grant component, but I want to caution the farmer because there is not only this grant component, but we also have our contribution, which involves some financial resources, which will make us more responsible, with several obligations,” explained Ludmila Catlabuga.
Currently, there are about 14,000 milking cows in local farms, and approximately 50,000 are cared for in private households. The Republic of Moldova imports substantial quantities of milk from Poland, Romania, and Ukraine.