OREANDA-NEWS. November 20, 2009. The state will facilitate the attraction of as many acceptable resources as possible in order to support small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular additional crediting lines for them, Deputy Premier, Economics Ministry Valeriu Lazar told a conference focused on problems faced by small and medium-sized enterprises.

Lazar unveiled statistics showing that the small and medium-sized enterprises were the ones that did not sack their employees during the crisis and did not incur significant losses as it happened with big enterprises. The small and medium-sized enterprises have been more flexible and able to adjust to different conditions, he said.

Lazar recalled that the recently signed agreement on additional financing of over 20 million dollars for the Competition Enhancement Project is aimed at fostering the competitiveness of local enterprises through crediting lines offered to qualified commercial banks. At the same time, he pointed out the need to work out well grounded business plans to get loans.

In the context, the director-general of the organization for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, Iulia Iabanji, said that 2008 was a difficult year both for the bank sector and small and medium-sized enterprises which were deprived of crediting lines for about six months. She specified that usually these enterprises apply for loans at micro financing organizations, while in villages, the most popular are saving and lending associations.

About 41,500 small and medium-sized enterprises, 15 banks, 23 micro financing institutions and 422 saving and lending associations operate in Moldova.