SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE ESSENTIAL OIL PLANT SUBSECTOR IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
Vasile URÂTU, PhD student
Free International University of Moldova
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Universal Decimal Classification: 338.43+633.85(478)
JEL Classification: L11, L89, O13, Q01, Q13
Abstract
The essential oil crops subsector represents a strategic area of development for the Republic of Moldova, in the context of favorable pedoclimatic conditions and the increasing international demand for natural and sustainable products. Although this subsector experienced a favorable development during the 1980s–1990s, it is currently facing a stage of stagnation, mainly determined by the low level of organization of the actors involved in value chains and the lack of efficient cooperation mechanisms.
The purpose of the research consists in identifying and substantiating the strategic directions for the development of the essential oil crops subsector, in order to ensure the sustainable organization of economic actors and to facilitate the integration of domestic products into target markets, in accordance with international trends.
The research results highlight that the sustainable development of the subsector has a multidimensional impact, contributing to the modernization of agriculture, the increase of external competitiveness, and the strengthening of the economic, social, and environmental resilience of rural areas. At the same time, the subsector provides real premises for the structural transformation of national agriculture, through the orientation towards value-added products and integration into efficient value chains.
Based on the analyses carried out, conclusions and strategic directions for development have been formulated, which can be used both by the economic actors within the subsector and by public authorities, in order to strengthen the organization and the sustainable functioning of a national economic ecosystem of
essential oil crops.
Keywords: export, trade, strategy, opportunity, sustainability, ecosystem, cooperation, value chain
