The Changing Landscape of Moldova Dairy Market
The problem
Moldova’s domestic dairy industry was among many other sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As it was reported in June 2020, the country was nearly not meeting needs in raw milk – as Carolina Linte, chairman of the National Association of Milk Producers of Moldova claimed. The amount that the country can import from the EU free-of-duty is only 5,000 tonnes annually. Back in the months influenced by pandemic uncertainty, Moldova’s government was seeking new solutions regarding the state dairy industry. A new restructuring plan is going to be implemented.
The solution
Moldavian National Program for the Development of the Dairy Industry for 2020-2025, has recently been reviewed by the officials. Consultations on the program’s draft are continuing until the end of September 2020. The program envisions a significant growth of the sector, mainly by increasing the number of livestock. It is hoped that the number of cows will grow from 5.1 thousand to 22 thousand. The production of beef, sheep, and goats is hoped to increase by 40%. To fulfill this goal, the government is going to channel 291.2 million lei (around €60 mln). It is planned that by the end of the Program in 2025, the number of the country’s dairy farms will reach at least 150. The volume of milk production is hoped to reach 135.2 thousand tons, from 18.87 thousand tons produced in 2020.
The influence
The Moldovian milk and dairy sector may be described as rather limited, yet due to the EU-Republic of Moldova Association Agreement, signed in 2014, the country made several promises regarding the agricultural sector. Among others implemented 6 years ago, the EU required dairy producers to follow HACCP-based food safety management systems. By 2020, Moldova’s dairy sector saw many changes, yet a major shift is hoped to be apparent by the end of 2025.
