Moldova not banning Ukrainian agri imports, for now
Moldova will not impose restrictions on imports of grains and oilseeds from Ukraine, deeming such a move ineffective, the country’s agriculture minister said on Wednesday.
- Subscribe to LIGA.net in English on Twitter
Speaking on national television, Vladimir Bolea stated the ban "would have given zero results", NewsMaker reports.
"On the contrary, Ukraine would have imposed restrictions on the import of Moldovan products, and then a lot would have been lost," he conceded.
The volume of agricultural imports from Ukraine is insignificant, with a total of about 177 tonnes of wheat and 4,000 tonnes of sunflower seeds imported, Mr Bolea noted, adding that Moldova has the capacity to store about three million tonnes of products.
Moldova’s agriculture minister also ruled out banning the transit of Ukrainian grain, which "does not affect us negatively"
"The problem arises with road freight transport, [with] waits at customs in Romania. We are interested in developing rail transport. It is much more profitable than road transport," he added.
Last week, Moldova’s agriculture ministry said it intended to "temporarily apply measures identical to those introduced in some EU countries regarding the import of grains and oilseeds from Ukraine."
In mid-April, Poland, followed by Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, under pressure from local producers, suspended the import of grain and other food products from Ukraine.
The countries agreed to cancel unilateral restrictions only after lengthy negotiations with the European Union, as a result of which the European Commission agreed to allocate 100 million euros for compensation to farmers of Ukraine's neighbouring countries.