A well-developed and maintained access road in rural areas plays a key role in stimulating and facilitating local business development. It is a vital link between rural communities and urban or industrial markets, providing a convenient and efficient transport route for goods and services.
As a key catalyst for the expansion of economic activities in rural areas, rural infrastructure not only supports local financial advancement, but also brings significant benefits by generating new jobs, improving the infrastructural base and raising living standards in rural communities.
Roads in the Republic of Moldova currently remain unrepaired and require permanent investment, thus the involvement of various funds, programmes and donors is needed to support and enable the survival of local agricultural producers.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, through the IFAD Programmes in the Republic of Moldova, aims to strengthen the resilience of small agricultural producers by facilitating access to grants intended to support economic infrastructure development projects.
According to the latest census data, more than 2.5 thousand people live in the village of Saratenii Vechi, Telenesti rayon, including 143 economic agents and agricultural producers. The projects supported by the local public authorities of the village Sărătenii Vechi have a major impact on people’s quality of life, living standards, growth and development opportunities, carrying out various production and processing activities as well as creating permanent jobs.
Thus in 2022, thanks to the joint involvement and contribution of four economic agents as well as of the town hall, the village of Sărătenii Vechi received a grant from the IFAD Programme, implemented by the CPIU IFAD, for the construction of a 0.55 km long asphalt concrete road. In the first stage, the members of the client group submitted a request for funding for the infrastructure project to rehabilitate the intraurban road sector in the village of Sărătenii Vechi and the industrial area of the village, aiming to facilitate access to industrial premises and the production area.
The construction of the road lengthening 55 km was carried out under the Rural Resilience Project (IFAD VII), the total contract price amounting to 3 811 480.87 MDL, of which 1.9 million MDL were allocated from the IFAD Programme and the other 50% were contributed by the town hall and members of the beneficiary group.
The project was scheduled and budgeted for implementation in 2023, and we are pleased to inform you that today, August 2nd, 2023 the final completion acceptance ceremony was held with the participation of CPIU IFAD representatives, the Mayor Mrs. Veronica Cupcea and members of the client group.
The road is located in the south-eastern part of the village of Sărătenii Vechi, Telenesti district, parallel to the national road R14 Chisinau – Balti, at a distance of about 800 meters from the edge of the national road and connecting the village with the industrial area. The access road planned for rehabilitation connects three grain storage warehouses, storage sheds for agricultural machinery and equipment of the client group, to the mill and the only oil factory in this locality.
The impact of the investment on the socio-economic development is more on an economic scale, with the possibility of being estimated in monetary terms. The positive impact of the project is anticipated both in the short term – through the streamlining of production processes of economic agents, increase in net profit, creation of new jobs, increase in volume and quality of agricultural production, and in the long term – through the increase in living standards and quality of life in general.
Using common resources, the results obtained are a source of joy, and the members of the group of beneficiaries, who contributed to the implementation of this project, consider that both the investment and the effort made were fully justified.
