Family business in Brăviceni modernized with EU funds
In the village of Brăviceni, Orhei district, the Caraman couple is developing a vegetable business that has been passed down through generations. They successfully attracted European funds and state subsidies, which enabled them to modernize ten greenhouses and expand their cultivated areas.
The Caraman family has a rich agricultural tradition that began nearly three decades ago. They specialize in vegetable cultivation, managing 30 hectares of land where they grow tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Every family member is actively involved in the daily operations.
"We started our business many years ago, beginning on a small scale and gradually expanding. We are a large family with five children, and when there is work to be done, everyone works," says Ecaterina Caraman.
Dumitru Caraman, a business manager, is a fourth-generation vegetable grower.
"We started in 1996-97 during a challenging time when jobs were scarce. What were we going to do? We began by growing vegetable seeds. We started with just two square meters, where we grew seedlings for the field. We took our different varieties of tomatoes and peppers to the market, responded to customer requests, and gradually increased our area. Over the years, we expanded our space until we reached three thousand square meters," says the entrepreneur.
The annual production is substantial: 30 tons of tomatoes, 15 tons of peppers, and 3 tons of cucumbers. These products primarily reach local markets, especially in the city of Orhei. To remain competitive, the business applied for state subsidies and various grants. They acquired and modernized greenhouses, as well as purchased irrigation systems and machinery. These investments have significantly contributed to production efficiency and the expansion of cultivated areas.
"In 2013, we benefited from a Polish grant. Through the Axa program, Poland offered us 15 thousand euros. With this money, we built greenhouses with an area of one thousand square meters. In 2017, we benefited from the second grant, three years in a row - a total of 53 thousand euros", says Dumitru Caraman.
More information can be found in the show "Pământ şi oameni", Sunday, at 2:00 PM, on Moldova 1.
