Young Moldovan farmer dreams of modern greenhouse
Sergiu Goncearuc is a 35-year-old Moldovan farmer who has been growing vegetables for 17 years. He started his business after working abroad to save up money.
He now cultivates vegetables on two hectares of protected land and five hectares of open land in the village of Speia, Anenii Noi district.
Goncearuc sells his produce on the local market. He says that he produces a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, early vegetables, onions, kohlrabi, and cauliflower. He built his own greenhouses, but he says that he needs to modernise them to be more efficient.
Goncearuc says that one of the things he learned while working abroad is the importance of patriotism. In Europe, he says, people are more likely to buy local produce to support their own farmers. He hopes that once Moldova joins the European Union, it will provide more support for local farmers.
"In the EU, there is patriotism," he says. "For example, I buy from Sweden, and it is our product, even if it is twice as expensive. A vegetable grower, a fruit grower, and a wine grower should not go bankrupt. Because if he goes bankrupt, he will not buy your goods anyway. Everything is in a chain: one produces apples, another tomatoes, another milk, another cheese, and another sells services. But if he leaves, who will work in the country? The state must take care of this. We have associated with the EU, and with the association, I think we may be heard, and they may solve it better."
According to experts, the creation of the National Association of Vegetable Growers will provide new opportunities for producers to receive more subsidies from the state. For 2024, the budget for agricultural subsidies is 1.6 billion lei.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
