OREANDA-NEWS. August 01, 2014. The results of the activity of the PARE 1 +1 Programme on Attracting Remittances into the Economy in the first half of the year, as well as the approval of new investment projects submitted by migrant workers and their relatives were the main topics discussed at the meeting of the programme’s Supervisory Committee.

According to the Economics Ministry’s information and media communication service, Organisation for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (ODIMM) Director Iulia Iabanji said that the institution cumulatively closed grant contracts with 411 businesses created and developed from the migrant workers’ financial sources between 2010 and 2014.

The PARE 1+1 programme beneficiaries’ investments amount to 258.13 million lei, and the accepted non-refundable financing - 76.66 million lei. The analysis of businesses by field of activity revealed that migrant workers invested their financial resources accumulated abroad mainly in agriculture – 58 per cent, followed by manufacturing / processing – 20 per cent, services - and food 18 per cent – 3 per cent.

Within this programme, the entrepreneurs have started and developed new business ideas, which up till now had not been implemented in Moldova. The PARE 1 +1 enterprises were among the first to develop businesses in the biomass field (pellets and briquettes, green energy), exotic animal farming (chinchilla, ostriches, vipers), grow milk thistle, paulownias, increase added value to agricultural products by creating greenhouses, refrigerators, mills, snail farm, agricultural tourism, etc.

To cover the PARE 1 +1 programme in the media, ODIMM organised a series of roundtables, conferences, meetings with representatives of the economic sections of the District Councils, business incubators, Bureau for Diaspora Relations, specialised media outlets.

Regarding the approval of new investment projects submitted by migrant workers and their relatives, the programme’s Supervisory Committee decided to approve the funding of 40 projects.