Moldova can Enter New Markets by Implementing Food Safety Standards European markets require strict quality and food safety measures for agricultural products, which Moldova can learn to produce and supply on a competitive basis. CNFA and CAMIB discussed the strategy for achieving these quality standards at a national seminar on food safety and EurepGAP certification.
June 22, 2005
Renowned international experts in the field of food safety and the fresh fruit and vegetable sector from Davis Fresh Technologies of California, USA, as well as representatives of the Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture, certification bodies, chain stores, exporters and producers of high-value fruits and vegetables convened for a seminar to discuss Moldova’s potential for entering new and more lucrative markets. The seminar introduced food safety principles and EurepGAP certification procedures to Moldovan fruit and vegetable producers and handlers, to increase their awareness of quality requirements imposed by European markets.
Moldova has already registered a growing trend in exports to Western markets -- in the past three years, exports to the European Union and Central Eastern European countries grew by 30% on average, while the volume of exports to the Commonwealth of Independent States increased only by 1%. And while these new markets present promising venues, the shift also implies a transition to new quality standards, which in turn require stricter management of production. Most European food retailers accept only fresh fruits and vegetables originated from EurepGAP-certified producers. This initiative dates back to 1997 when retailers and producers belonging to the Euro-Retailer Produce (EUREP) Working Group agreed on widely accepted standards and procedures for the global certification of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in five categories, including fruits and vegetables. EurepGAP provides the tools to objectively verify best practice in a systematic and consistent way throughout the world.
To date, no Moldovan producer has passed EurepGAP certification, while the concept in itself is in many instances a new notion. Most current farm practices are inefficient and outdated, which affects quality of farm output. As a result, agricultural products do not meet international quality standards and new export markets remain unreachable at this point. To address this constraint, the USAID-funded Agribusiness Development Project partnered up with Davis Fresh Technologies and CAMIB to initiate a strategy for introducing food safety standards to Moldova’s developing high-value agricultural sector.
Following this seminar, interested producers may seek technical assistance and matching grants from ADP to make improvements in their farm production and pass needed certification for exports to the European Union.
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