During the workshop on the occasion of the project completion, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA), Vasile Charban, mentioned the special role of FAO in the process of attracting international donors for the formation of anti-crisis funds for Moldovan agriculture. In this context, FAO’s assistance in the process of popularization of such a drought-resistant and commercially promising crop as sorghum in Moldovan agriculture was a very important decision for the country. It is not a relatively new crop for our country, but so far it has not been widely represented in crop rotations due to a number of agro-technological constraints, one of which is the lack of professional knowledge about sorghum cultivation among the majority of agricultural producers. To fill this gap, FAO project partners have organized a network of demonstration plots in Moldova that are available for farmers to visit and improve their skills.
Another component of the project was to help provide fodder to the most vulnerable, micro- and small-scale livestock farms.
FAO Deputy Representative in Moldova Tudor Robu emphasized the contribution of the Government of Japan to the joint projects implemented in Moldovan agriculture for the past three years. These projects have had a double effect: both adaptation to climate change and mitigation of the negative economic consequences for farmers in the region of the war in Ukraine.
“My only regret is that the project to promote sorghum in Moldovan field production lasted only one year and we were not able to continue this support at the pace and level at which we started,” said Tudor Robu. – However, I am convinced that we will be able to find opportunities to continue supporting Moldovan farmers as they adapt their businesses to climate change.
