OREANDA-NEWS. October 30, 2014. According to the Secretariat of the Economic Council under the office of the Premier, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca has charged the Agriculture Ministry, the Health Ministry and the National Food Safety Agency with the task of simplifying the procedure and reducing the cost of certifying and testing foods and agricultural products to be exported.

This measure will facilitate Moldova’s exports and reduce producers’ costs, which are considered as additional barriers to trade, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Till November 15, 2014 the public institutions mentioned above are supposed to analyze how much the laboratory testing and certification costs; to check whether the cost is reasonable; to propose measures to reduce the producers’ testing and certification costs by at least 20%; to find ways to prolong the validity of the laboratory certifying tests by at least 30% with the least possible risk to individuals’ physical safety; to optimize the certification process from sampling to sending results of the tests; to minimize a number of visits necessary to have the foods certified and to shorten the terms of the testing and certification to a minimum.

The same measure, taken following the previous sittings of the Economic Council, has proved to be effective as for the testing and certification of wine-and-vine products. Since July 2014, the cost on these services has decreased 30%.