Panel session “Functioning of Food Systems in Conditions of International Instability” was held on the 21st of November, 2022
On November 21, within the framework of the IX Moscow International Financial and Economic Forum, a panel session “Functioning of Food Systems in Conditions of International Instability” was held in Chisinau (Republic of Moldova). The panel session was attended by representatives of the business community of 14 Eurasian countries.
The panel session was moderated by Ruslan Taran, Head of the FBA EAC Representative Office in the Republic of Moldova. Li Shuobing, President of FBA EAC, and Alexander Murychev, Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chairman of the FBA EAC Board, welcomed the participants of the session.
The working part of the panel session was opened by a report presented by Mary Kenny, the FAO Specialist in Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Coordinator of Regional Initiatives of the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The speaker spoke about global challenges in the field of food, such as inflation, increasing pressure on resources, the climate crisis, inter-country conflicts, and the consequences of the pandemic. In order to solve the problems, it is not enough to modernize logistics chains, but it is necessary to make qualitative changes in various spheres of public life (politics, economics, healthcare, environmental protection).
The discussion on the food safety situation in the world was continued by Tudor Afanasov, President of the Chamber for Economic and Cultural Cooperation between Romania and the Russian Federation, Head of the FBA EAC Representative Office in the Republic of Romania. The topic of his speech was “Finding ways to increase agri-food sustainability in Eastern Europe”. The speaker spoke about the need to create unified mechanisms for regulating and supporting agro-industrial enterprises in the region to ensure food safety and agricultural development.
In his speech, Valentin Karamzin, CEO of the Russian company “Agromash”, focused on the topic of finding technological solutions for sustainable food supply to the population. The speaker stressed the need to develop technological solutions for farmers and small farms. Agromash can offer such solutions, including design documentation.
Igor Dubovsky, CEO of New Food Technologies, continued the discussion. The speaker elaborated on the problems of food safety in megacities and ways to ensure the safety of food stocks in warehouses and at manufacturing plants.
Bogomil Georgiev, Head of the FBA EAC Representative Office in the Republic of Bulgaria, spoke about the ecological biofertilizers produced at the Bulgarian enterprises Biohumax and EkoTek, which are necessary for the sustainable development of agriculture and ensuring high-quality products.
Speaking about the strategic development of the Moldovan wine sector, Radion Turkulets, a representative of the Ever Wine company, noted the great potential of the Republic of Moldova in providing the market with wine products due to the climate, strategic location and traditions of wine production.
The panel session ended with a speech by Marina Kroitor, a representative of the VELTLAND company. The speaker presented projects in the field of environmentally friendly technologies for the sustainable development of energy security. In particular, Marina Kroitor spoke about the projects concerning a water conversion system, closed-type hydroelectric power plants, wastewater treatment systems and energy-saving electric boilers.
At the end of the session, Ruslan Taran spoke about the prospects of Eastern Europe and, in particular, Moldova, in ensuring food safety in the Eurasian region. Despite unfavorable socio-political conditions, new opportunities are being found for the implementation of investment projects in the agri-food sector, business development strategies are being worked out and products are being promoted to the international market.
The participants of the panel session unanimously noted the high level of professionalism of the speakers and the relevance of the issues discussed.
