Amid Threats of Farmers’ Protests, Agriculture Ministry Proposes Extending Grain Import Licensing

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry has proposed extending the licensing requirement for imports of wheat, maize and sunflower seeds until December 31, 2026. Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Eugen Osmochescu announced the proposal at a briefing on October 28. The current licensing regime expires on October 31, rupor.md reports. According to the minister, the proposal is based on an economic analysis. The ministry is particularly concerned about a sharp decline in prices for imported sunflower seeds in the second half of the year, which poses risks to domestic producers. “The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the government as a whole are proposing to extend the licensing regime until December 31, 2026,” Osmochescu said. At the same time, data for the first half of the year did not show that imported products were consistently cheaper than Moldovan ones. The ministry identified a concerning trend after conducting an additional review of sunflower seed prices, including those in the third quarter. Osmochescu also noted that the analysis had found no proven negative impact of the licensing regime on processors. To date, the ministry has issued three licenses covering imports of 100 tons of spelt wheat, 22 tons of popcorn maize and 4,000 tons of sunflower seeds. On October 27, the Farmers’ Power association warned of possible local protests involving agricultural machinery on October 29 and 30 if Parliament failed to extend the licensing regime that week. Farmers fear that cheaper Ukrainian products will drive down purchase prices and are demanding a decision before the current regime expires to prevent a gap in import controls.