Farmers and honey producers of Cahul district benefit from ILO support and training

Through the Local Employment Partnership (LEP) in Cahul, the ILO project aims to facilitate the establishment of two production cooperatives: a cooperative of cheese producers and another of honey producers. “Agricultural producers who associate in cooperatives gain bargaining power and can enjoy more benefits compared to those who work on their own. The greatest advantage of an association is the ability to gain access to trade relations with regional and national chain stores and to obtain a better sales price. They can get significant reductions in prices for raw materials and the possibility of using specialised equipment. So, on the one hand, reducing cost of production becomes possible, and, on the other, more jobs are generated. That is why we proposed to support the establishment of such cooperatives. The experience of European countries is very good on this area. We invited experts, who manage large cooperatives in Italy, to facilitate the mission", said Violeta Vrabie, ILO Project Coordinator.

At the 10-day-long trainig, the experts will work alongside local farmers to guide them in the process of establishing cooperatives, based on the Italian experience, as well as in evaluating the quality of Cahul cheese and honey.

After the training course, the participants will benefit from consultations on purchase of equipment for honey homogenization and packaging cheeses, and on a specialized laboratory for testing milk quality.

“Every year, in the Cahul district, over one thousand tons of honey is produced. We could obtain even more if we had more workforce and a bigger market. For this reason, I decided to join a honey cooperative. I think the theoretical sessions, but also the practical guidance, will help us in this respect ”, said Sergiu Pislaru, honey producer.

In addition to facilitating the association of producer groups, the ILO project "Promoting Youth Employment" aims at creating more jobs for young people exposed to social exclusion, at providing new business development opportunities and on-the-job training opportunities for the unemployed. LEP Cahul anticipates creation and formalization of over 260 jobs and launching 106 businesses in beekeeping, creative industries and crafts. About 670 people from the Cahul district, including people at risk of social

exclusion, will benefit directly from the opportunities provided by the project and about 1000 people from the community will be indirect beneficiaries of the project.