“Grain can’t just disappear along the way”
“Transit grain is transit grain. It must be sealed; it’s in transit and can’t just disappear somewhere along the way,” Tofan said Thursday after talks with agricultural producers.
According to him, the problem lies elsewhere—in the very heavy workload at the Port of Constanța, where trains carrying Ukrainian produce are headed.
“But the decision we made at CFM (Moldovan Railways—ed. Logos Press), and the agreement with the Ukrainian side is that a railcar will be sent in transit only when there is a guarantee that it will be accepted and a slot will be reserved for it in Constanța,” the prime minister emphasized.
He noted that amid discussions of a 50% discount on the transit of Ukrainian goods, many “apocalyptic headlines” have appeared, even though Moldovan exporters pay lower rates than Ukrainian transit carriers, have priority in transportation, and face no restrictions on railway capacity.
“I would like to see as much Ukrainian transit as possible,”
The Prime Minister emphasized that an increase in Ukrainian transit, on the contrary, benefits the Moldovan railway.
“As for our railway, on the contrary, I would like to see as much Ukrainian transit as possible, because the railway needs volume. They had planned for 1,000 railcars to be transported in August, but now there are fewer than 400 left. The problem with the railway is that it doesn’t have enough volume, not that it has too much. And we must ensure the railway’s stable operation,” the prime minister said.
As a reminder, a 50% discount on the tariff for the transit of Ukrainian goods via the Moldovan railway has been in effect since August 10, 2026. The preferential tariff will remain in effect until the end of 2026.
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