Hundreds of Tractors Are Blocking National Roads and Heading Towards the Customs Post

Tensions in the agribusiness sector reached a peak following a mass protest organized on Wednesday, 24 June 2026. Despite the fact that seasonal agricultural work is in full swing, more than 250 tractors and hundreds of farmers from 21 districts across the country blocked several national roads, reports noi.md. According to an official statement from the Forta Fermierilor Association, agricultural producers are vehemently protesting against the government’s intention to raise the VAT rate to 20% on agricultural produce. In addition to retaining tax breaks, farmers are demanding direct payments per hectare for micro, small and medium-sized farmers (for cereals and oilseeds), as well as a full (100%) refund of excise duties for the current year. In parallel with the demonstrations taking place across the country, an emergency meeting was held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry with the relevant associations to formulate a unified position. All the organizations present unanimously rejected the tax increases: “All associations unanimously rejected the idea of raising VAT to 20% on agricultural produce and staple foods. The overwhelming majority of organizations voted firmly in favor of keeping VAT at the current level of 8%,” stated representatives of Forta Fermierilor. Farmers demanded that the Minister of Agriculture publicly adopt this stance, warning that a potential increase would ruin producers and lead to rising food prices throughout the supply chain, directly affecting consumers. Although the minister promised that the ministry’s conclusion would support maintaining the reduced rate of 8%, farmers described her public statements as “indecisive”. Farmers accuse the Ministry of Finance of being inflexible, claiming that the ministry is unwilling to abandon the 20% rate and is attempting to impose complex alternative mechanisms. “Farmers are aware of the Finance Minister’s position; she is categorically unwilling to abandon the idea of raising VAT to 20% and is resorting to various ploys, such as reverse taxation. In principle, this does not change the situation for producers and represents an extremely complex procedure. Even the Grain Exporters’ Association has confirmed that any increase in VAT, regardless of who pays it, will ultimately fall on the shoulders of farmers,” the statement reads.