Floresti District
Răut River district with 80% agricultural land, 33,200 businesses; quartz sand deposit and dairy/mineral water brands diversify beyond farming.
The Răut River—Moldova's longest entirely domestic waterway at 286 kilometers—flows through Florești, connecting this district of 76,000 to Bălți upstream and Orhei downstream. With 88,934 hectares of agricultural land covering 80% of its territory, Florești exemplifies Moldova's farm-based economy. But beneath the soil lies something different: a quartz sand deposit near the town that supplies raw material to the glass industry.
This mineral resource gives Florești an unusual economic signature. The 33,200 registered businesses include not just the expected agricultural operations but also the Florești Butter Factory—a major dairy producer—and Rusnac-Moldaqua, whose mineral water brand has achieved national recognition. The district has positioned itself for SME modernization and agricultural processing, encouraging local producer associations to aggregate smallholder output into marketable volumes.
By 2026, Florești's location along Moldova's main internal river system could amplify its role as a processing hub. The Răut basin's 702,423 hectares drain through territory containing significant economic activity, but industrial and agricultural runoff has degraded water quality—reeds now choke portions of the riverbed near Putinești. Whether the district develops as a clean processing center or as another source of river pollution depends on whether the infrastructure investments being pushed through Moldova's EU accession process arrive with environmental standards attached.