ORGANIC FARMING SUPPORT POLICY IN MOLDOVA

In Moldova, the adoption of the Law for Ecological Agri-Food Products (2005) and the Law on Subsidizing Principles in Agriculture and Rural Development (2016) contributed to the beginning of government support for organic farming. The objective of this paper is to examine the influence and effectiveness of support policies for the growth of organic farming. The legal documents for the programs and policies adopted are the framework for the data analysis. Secondary data from the Agency of Interventions and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA) regarding the number of applications, converted area, and analysis of allocated subsidies for organic agricultural development were used for the impact analysis. Due to differences between national legislation and European policies, local ecological certificates are not recognized on the E.U. market, which creates challenges for export under the organic label. This is a major issue for the development of organic farming in Moldova. The lack of control capacity of conversions, certification of technologies, raw materials and organic products, and few professional trained workers in organic agriculture cause additional problems to farmers restricting the expansion of ecological agriculture in Moldova.