Ministers, senior officials, and private investors from across the European Union gathered in Chișinău on 5 March 2026 for the Agrifood Partnership Investment Forum, organized by the Republic of Moldova with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The high-level event brought together over 200 participants, including public- and private-sector representatives from EU member states and the United Kingdom, with the aim of strengthening investment in Moldova’s agrifood sector and supporting the country’s European Union accession process.
Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu highlighted the importance of investment, modern technologies, and partnerships for the agrifood sector, emphasizing that improvements in cold storage, irrigation, and livestock technologies could directly enhance productivity and market access for Moldovan farmers. Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ludmila Catlabuga underlined the forum’s focus on modernizing the sector, supporting rural communities, and integrating Moldova into European value chains through the Moldova Agrifood Partnership Platform.
The forum produced tangible outcomes, including reaffirmed commitments from participating countries and institutions to provide technical assistance, new partnerships between Moldovan producers and foreign companies, and identified investment opportunities in the fruit, vegetable, livestock, and wine sectors. Agreements were also reached on measures to align the agricultural sector with EU standards, supported by EUR 1.9 billion in European Union financial aid through the Growth Plan for Moldova.
The Agrifood Partnership Platform, launched in October 2023 with FAO support, serves as a framework for promoting Moldova’s agrifood system development and advancing its EU integration. The forum combined high-level political dialogue with practical business activities, including plenary sessions on investment programmes, technical sessions on specific sectors, and a marketplace showcasing Moldovan products such as wine, apples, and nuts to connect local producers with potential investors.
European Union Ambassador Iwona Piórko emphasized the forum’s significance in demonstrating the EU’s commitment to Moldova’s agricultural transformation and broader European integration. FAO Representative Raimund Jehle highlighted the value of multilateral engagement, noting that the forum showcased the benefits of collaboration between governments, the private sector, and international partners to strengthen a competitive agrifood system.
Agriculture remains the backbone of Moldova’s economy, with farmland covering 75 percent of the country’s territory, the highest proportion in Europe. This centrality underscores why agrifood transformation is a cornerstone of Moldova’s EU accession agenda and why the Agrifood Partnership Investment Forum represents a key milestone for the country’s long-term economic growth and development.
