On November 18th, 2022, the 3rd Business Forum conference of the HEGO project took place in Chisinau, Moldova. The Business Forum was carried out by ODA (Organisation for the Deveopment Entrepreneurship) which has been entrusted to undertake the implementation of the EU BSB funded HEGO project in Moldova.The event was conducted in Modovan. English simultaneous interpretation was provided.

The participants were invited based on the network established among HEGO Project Partners, stakeholders and relevant enterprises as final beneficiaries and which was dedicated in promoting networking, knowledge, experience, training opportunities and innovation among its members, aiming at becoming the only cross-border Business Forum dedicated especially to promotion and trade of herb products from Black Sea Project countries (Greece, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia).

“We set out to create a platform where we can bring together different players in the field of the cultivation of herbaceous plants and identify what stage we are at, who and how many we are, what are the challenges we face, what are the performances -we achieved and together identify ways to modernize those working in this industry, enterprises associated with the cultivation, production and promotion of value-added plant products, ways to improve cross-border trade opportunities, but also to identify opportunities to improve models of the business of herbaceous plant producers”, – the coordinator of the HEGO Project for ODA, and Head of the Project Development and ODA’s International Cooperation Department, Mrs Rodica Crudu, stated at the forum.

The event also presented the overall results of the European project “HEGO-plants for economic growth”, implemented between July 1, 2020 and December 30, 2022, by the 4 countries of the Black Sea basin. 

“Projects like HEGO are important for us because we can better understand the needs of certain very specific sectors that are trying to take off in our country, so that when we develop programs and financing products for this sector, we also take into account of needs. Know that this year we are coming with an inclusive program for that sector, namely the financing program for small entrepreneurs. I urge you to use ODA products, to come with ideas to ODA, because we want to have a dialogue as close as possible with entrepreneurs, to understand their needs and to develop programs that meet the requirements of the business environment”, – said Dumitru Pîntea, director, Organization for the Development of Entrepreneurship (ODA). 

The sector of herbaceous plants in the Republic of Moldova has a potential that is not yet fully exploited. “We are convinced that together with the development partners, with the members of the association, with the representatives of the state institutions, we will succeed in revitalizing this much too interesting sector for the Republic of Moldova. For this, we must be firmly convinced that we have the necessary conditions, trained people and real support specifically aimed at achieving a result, but also make a joint effort that will inevitably lead us to this result”, – said Iurie Ușurelu, Executive Director of Association of Producers of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants from Moldova “Aromeda”. 

This was the 3rd and final Business Forum Conference organised within the HEGO project, which provided a common paltform for the exchange of ideas to all participants who wished to be able to participate in similar events in the future.