Several agricultural companies from the Republic of Moldova will benefit from free external consulting services in the year 2010, provided by the "Farmer to Farmer" Program February 3, 2010
At least 15 agricultural businesses from Republic of Moldova will benefit from free external consulting services in the year 2010. These will be provided on voluntary basis by highly qualified American experts, selected on a contest basis within the "Farmer to Farmer" Program. The consulting services are provided during a period of maximum three weeks for two strategic agricultural sub-sectors (production of fruit and vegetables and dairy products). The consulting services are approaching diverse technical and financial issues, in order to increase the business performances. The estimated value of the consulting services for the year 2010 is of almost $1 million.
The organizations that will benefit from the consulting services in the year 2010 are "Vita-Lact", "DoPrimLact", "OlgutaProd", "Premium Fruct" and "Agrostoc" cooperatives, the Table Grapes Producers and Exporters Association, the Agricultural Park INAGRO of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, several limited liability societies, farms, and higher education institutions.
The major objectives of the assistance provided to the Moldovan businesses in the year 2010 are: to assimilate advanced technologies, to increase productivity and income from initiating value-added generating activities, to launch new products, and to penetrate new markets.
The companies and the farmers from Republic of Moldova that were selected as beneficiaries for the assistance provided by American volunteers have proven a strong commitment to achieve superior results. They also have had clear ideas how to reach them, as well as a proven track record of successful business operation. Among other basic selection criteria was also the will of the Moldovan farmers to learn and to assimilate new business management methods.
Overall, 125 American volunteers with extensive agricultural business experience are to come to the Republic of Moldova with the support of "Farmer to Farmer" Program between the years 2008-2013. As the result of their contribution, a $10 million increase (both direct and indirect) in agricultural sales is estimated.
A major factor of this assistance is the establishment of relationships between the American volunteers and Moldovan farmers. Often, the American volunteers continue to support the farmers of our country after returning to the U.S. Thus, based on these experts’ initiative, study visits in the U.S. for the Moldovan farmers were organized, as well as follow-up assignments in order to evaluate the achieved progress, and to provide additional support in order to expand the activities that were initiated with the support of the volunteers.
The agricultural consultancy provided by the American volunteers to the Moldovan companies has the following general objectives: to increase the income of the private farmers while assisting them in order to initiate commercial and group activities, to enhance the agricultural businesses that contribute to the economic development, including the development of rural communities, to facilitate the access to the loans for the private farmers and agricultural businesses, by increasing their knowledge in different areas, such as planning and financial management.
The "Farmer to Farmer" Program is implemented in our country by CNFA, an American non-profit, USAID-funded organization. The program was launched in the year 1999 and prolonged in the years 2003 and 2008. It provides business consulting services and technical assistance on a voluntary basis to the local farmers, growers and processors. In the last ten years, 20.000 local beneficiaries were provided with assistance in order to increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, the employment opportunities, and the population income. With the support of the United States Government, USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries, in order to provide a better future for all.
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CNFA, Inc. is an American organization dedicated to stimulating economic growth around the world by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise, and market linkages. It specializes in engaging private sector investment in training, new technology, and marketing as a means to increase overall competitiveness, expand exports, create jobs, and ultimately generate higher incomes for farmers, processors, and distributors. With funding from the United States Government, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries to provide a better future for all.
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