Oleg Cojușneanu is a young entrepreneur from Anenii Noi district who manages a rabbit farm. The business was launched ten years ago out of a passion for rabbits and started with just a few animals. Today, the farm raises more than 4,000 rabbits.

“I started raising rabbits in my parents’ backyard. Later, I found a warehouse belonging to a state institution — a post-Soviet facility originally adapted for cattle farming. I rented half of the building, replaced the flooring, added thermal insulation, and adapted everything for rabbit farming,” says Oleg Cojușneanu.

The business grew in response to demand on the local market. With each new client, the farm adapted and expanded. The breed chosen by the producer is the Hungarian Pannon — a hybrid well suited for intensive farming, with good meat yield and strong resistance to diseases.

Initially, rabbit meat was sold mainly to event venues, but after the pandemic, the young entrepreneur decided to shift towards specialized shops and retail chains across Moldova.

“We have direct contracts with stores and deliver twice a week. Animals are slaughtered on demand, all documentation is prepared, the veterinary assistant comes to certify meat quality, the sanitary-veterinary certificate is issued, and then the products are delivered to the store. To sell through retail chains, we needed a full set of documents: operating authorization, slaughter authorization, an ANSA-approved slaughter point, and certificates for each batch of meat delivered,” explains the producer.

Oleg believes that a successful business is built on passion. “If you are not passionate about what you do, you will not succeed. There are many risks and challenges, but when you enjoy your work, you find motivation. There are good days and hard days, just like in any field,” the young entrepreneur says.

More recently, the producer has also started manufacturing animal feed, both for his own farm and for other farmers.

To further develop the farm, Oleg actively collaborates with national research institutions.

“Our collaboration with the National Institute for Applied Research in Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine began in 2020, at a time when we needed expertise to clarify several technical aspects of production. During the initial discussions, we were offered the opportunity to test a pilot project based on probiotics — a new approach for us, as we had previously relied on antibiotics. Although we were initially skeptical, the first results appeared quickly, and the effectiveness of the method led us, in many cases, to significantly reduce or even completely replace antibiotics. This experience demonstrated how valuable cooperation between farmers and research institutions is: that is where the methodology, scientific foundations, and understanding of processes are found — elements that directly influence animal health and performance, even if they are not immediately visible,” the producer notes.

For the results achieved through collaboration with research institutions, Oleg Cojușneanu was awarded during the National AgroKnowledge Forum, organized in November 2025 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Agricultural and Rural Advisory Center.