Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture informed of Moldova's intention to temporarily ban grain imports from Ukraine
Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea informed his Ukrainian counterpart Mykola Solski about the intention of the Republic of Moldova to introduce a temporary ban on the import of wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds originating in Ukraine, with transit through our country.
"The amount of domestic grain in storage is high, which puts pressure on farmers. They are worried that they will not have space for the new crop. At the same time, the export trend for domestic grain is downward, logistics costs have increased and prices on international exchanges have collapsed. Our farmers need to make use of their grain stocks and prepare for the new agricultural season," Vladimir Bolea said.
Vladimir Bolea reiterated our country's solidarity with the Ukrainian people, expressing the Moldovan authorities' openness to solving the problems of farmers of both peoples.
In April, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria banned imports of Ukrainian grain to protect local farmers. The large influx of grain from Ukraine has led to price collapses in these countries, as well as in Romania, and logistical bottlenecks. The four countries' decisions have been criticised by Kiev and the European commission for being taken unilaterally, not at European level.
Recently, the European Commission decided to halt imports from Ukraine to the countries until 5 June, but allowed transit.
