Moldovan farmers demand restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grain

Moldovan farmers demand that the government impose restrictions on the import of agricultural products from Ukraine.

The Forța Fermierilor Association (“Force of Farmers”) demands that the government urgently introduce a mechanism to limit the import of grain and oil crops from Ukraine, Forța Fermierilor said on Facebook.

On October 4, 2023, the Commission on Emergency Situations, at the constant insistence of farmers, introduced a licensing system for the import of agricultural products for the period of the state of emergency, which expires on January 1, 2024.

Although the measure was applied with great delay, it still stopped the collapse of prices in the domestic market, and in the last two months Moldova has seen a slow increase in the prices of wheat, corn and sunflower, according to the association.

Forța Fermierilor cited the example of the Trans Oil company, which intends to import about 300,000 tons of sunflowers from Ukraine, and stated that this would allegedly again affect the interests of domestic farmers.

According to the farmers, the lack of import restrictions will not only unbalance the domestic market, but also endanger the export of wheat, corn and sunflower to Romania, which has warned the country about the danger of re-exports from Ukraine.