Moldovan Exporters Alarmed by New US Duties

The new duties imposed by the US administration are alarming for Moldovan exporters. Winemakers may suffer the most, as almost 50 companies from this sector export their products to the US. Valeriu Mihaluta is the general director of a Moldovan winery. He has been supplying wine to the US for more than ten years. Last year, over 130 thousand bottles were exported, tvrmoldova.md reports. “These are quite high duties; they are serious for us. Of course, we are trying to diversify our sales markets. We already export products to more than 30 countries. We will focus on these areas, but the American market remains a priority for us, because it is the largest market in the world,” the entrepreneur said. Other producers of the agricultural sector also express serious concerns. Last year, Moldova exported $90 million worth of goods to the US. More than half of them were alcoholic beverages. Until now, customs duties for Moldova depended on the type of product and did not exceed 15%. The new single rate of 31% will come into force this week. Prime Minister Dorin Recean said last week that the government would support entrepreneurs affected by the new duties imposed by the Trump administration.