The Moldovan government is considering maintaining restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grain, but a final decision will be made after assessing the financial and economic impact.
Moldovan Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Eugeniu Osmоchescu said this, according to Moldova1.
The minister noted that the measure affects not only grain and oilseed producers but also related sectors, including the flour-milling and bakery industries.
“I have not seen any economic or financial arguments in favour of introducing import licensing, so I asked my colleagues to analyse the impact not only on one group of participants but on every link in the value chain in the Republic of Moldova, from imports to bakery products,” Osmochescu said.
The minister also warned of potential foreign trade risks. He recalled that Ukraine had considered suspending purchases of Moldovan wine and grapes in response to restrictions on imports of Ukrainian poultry meat.
At the same time, a new grain import licensing mechanism, approved by Moldova’s parliament in its second reading, continues to cause dissatisfaction among farmers. They have criticised the decision to apply the measure only until October 31, as well as the exclusion of professional associations from the licensing commission.
Farmers are demanding that grain import licensing be extended until December 31 to prevent local agricultural prices from falling during the harvest season. Alexandru Brînza, a representative of the Forța Fermierilor association, said he believes the restrictions would not affect the livestock sector.
“We once again analysed all applications submitted during 2024–2025: there were no requests from livestock farmers. The greatest interest came from major market players — ethanol producers and sunflower processors,” Brînza said.
He argued that controlled imports do not amount to a ban but are instead a measure intended to protect the domestic market and consumers from non-compliant products or unauthorised re-exports.
Brînza added that farmers would resort to protests if the authorities ignored their demands.
“Unfortunately, there is no other way. We are exhausting all legal avenues through discussions and dialogue with the authorities, providing evidence and submitting requests. If absolutely nothing is taken into account, we will have no choice but to protest, as always, peacefully,” he said.
