Signing of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of Sweden
on the financing of 2011 General Agricultural Census

Today, 26 November 2010, the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of Sweden was signed. The Agreement foresees financial support from Sweden for the organisation and conduction of the General Agricultural Census (GAC) in the Republic of Moldova. Mrs. Ingrid Tersman, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Sweden in the Republic of Moldova and Mr. Veaceslav Negruta, the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Moldova signed the Agreement.

According this Agreement, the Government of Sweden allocates a grant of 20.4 million Swedish Crones equivalent to 34 million Lei (or 2.9 Million USD) of the total budget of 67 million Lei planned for the carry out of the General Agricultural Census in the Republic of Moldova. Thus, Sweden will finance approximately 52 % of the total operational costs of the census. Also, the European Union will contribute with an amount of 1 million Euro for the GAC carry out. The state budget of the Republic of Moldova will allocate approximately 17 million Lei for this activity of national importance.

The General Agricultural Censuses are relevant exercises taking into account the importance of agriculture in the country economy (agricultural lands represent 75% of the total country lands; approximately 30% of total population employment; share of agriculture in GDP represents 8%), and play an important role in collecting accurate information regarding the situation in agriculture, in particular, what concerning the activity of small producers (which constitute approximately one million).

The GAC objectiveis to ensure central and local public authorities, academia, economic units, and the public at large with complex and detailed information on the situation in agricultural sector, in particular, concerning:

• Structure of agricultural producers;
• Potential of human, land and technical resources in agriculture:
  • areas of agricultural lands by use – arable lands (including the structure of sown areas), orchards, vineyards, etc.;
  • number of fructiferous trees and vine cuttings – total and by main groups of species;
  • livestock and poultry by species, groups, age and sex;
  • number of tractors, agricultural machinery and the energetic potential;
  • employment in agriculture, including the gender aspect, etc.

The GAC data shall represent a relevant information source to ensure the development of agricultural and rural sectors in general, ensure the population food security, and shall assist local public authorities in taking important decisions for the development of rural localities, and attraction of investments, etc.

The following units will be covered by the GAC:

• agricultural units of any organisational-legal forms;
• auxiliary agricultural households of other enterprises;
• population auxiliary households, whose members are owners of agricultural lands and/or livestock and poultry;
• associations;
• fruit yards and vegetable yards;
• other legal and natural persons who own or use lands and/or livestock and poultry, bee colonies.

It is necessary to mention that such type of survey as the General Agricultural Census will be organized for the first time; up to now, only specialized Censuses in agriculture were organized in the Republic of Moldova, such as: census of sown areas (the last was organized on 1985), livestock (1992), perennial plantations (a.1994).

As the world practice shows and according to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) General Agricultural Census is an absolutely necessary measure for the assessment of the state of arts in agriculture that allows obtaining relevant data at national, as well as regional level, having no other option at the moment.

It is to be mentioned that in compliance to the Government Decision no. 309 from 17.03.2007, conduction and coordination of GAC is assured at national level by the Republican Commission for GAC, at rayon level, municipality of Chisinau, Balti and TAU Gagauzia - by the regional commissions for GAC. The responsibility for methodological aspect, data collection and processing, database administration, elaboration and dissemination of census results is assigned to the National Bureau of Statistics.

According to the Government Decision no. 898 from 24 September 2010, the conduction of the General Agricultural Census will occur in the I quarter 2011.

Conduction of the GAC in the Republic of Moldova takes places within the framework of the FAO programme for 2010 Round Census of Agriculture and will be carried out following EU standards.

Note: more detailed information on the organisation of General Agricultural Census in the Republic of Moldova can be found on website under the heading Censuses / Preparation for General Agricultural Census .

Contact person:

Mrs. Ala Paslariuc,
Head of Section of Information Dissemination and
Public Relations,
Tel.: 40 30 51