The national development strategy “Moldova 2020” will contain a new objective – agriculture and rural development. On June 4, the Government approved a bill to amend the law on the adoption of the national development strategy “Moldova 2020” passed in 2012, which was put forward by a group of Liberal-Democratic lawmakers, IPN reports.

The introduction of these amendments was preceded by long discussions and insistent demands on the part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and associations of agricultural producers. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca expressed his satisfaction with the fact that a compromise was finally reached. “We now only have to implement the “Strategy 2020” and the agricultural and rural development strategy that aims to enhance competitiveness of agrifood products,” he stated.

The authors of the bill say that in order to create favorable living conditions and to cope with the challenges of the 21st century, a new approach is needed to agricultural and rural development. Agriculture and food industry rank second after the service sector by the share in the GDP and first by the contribution to the economic growth, which is about 37%.

The national development strategy “Moldova 2020” is the first long-term strategic planning document. It is focused on the solving of acute problems that hamper economic growth and includes the following priorities: good roads; accessible and cheap financing; business with clear rules; renewable energy; a sustainable and equitable pension system; responsible and non-corrupt justice, and relevant studies for career.