The US authorities temporarily allowed the purchase of Iranian oil loaded on tankers earlier than March 20. The relaxation of sanctions will last 30 days. It will allow about 140 million barrels to be brought to the market. The goal is to bring prices down below $100 per barrel.
The $80 billion global diamond industry is experiencing one of the most serious crises in history. Demand is declining, both rough and treated stones are becoming cheaper, and market participants have less and less faith in a quick recovery.
“The supply shocks underscore the risk that oil prices could stay above $100 longer in risky scenarios with longer disruptions and greater sustained supply losses,” Goldman Sachs analysts said.
The attacks on Iran increased the wholesale price of flour-grade wheat from the Black Sea region by about $6/t.
Iran has attacked the Diego Garcia base, owned by the US and UK, in the Indian Ocean with two medium-range ballistic missiles. This is the first case of such a threat to US interests outside the Middle East – 4,000 kilometers from Iran.
For the second year in a row, Kernel Agroholding has maintained absolute leadership in the country’s two key export categories – cereals and sunflower oil – and holds the first position in the overall ranking. In the structure of Ukraine’s exports, every tenth dollar is Kernel’s contribution.
In Bulgaria, exceeding of permissible pesticide norms was detected in a consignment of Argentine sunflower delivered by the third ship. According to laboratory tests, the level of deltamethrin in the samples is twice as high as the established norms. The samples were taken by inspectors of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) in the presence of local agricultural producers.
In February 2026, the Moldovan grain market saw an increase in wheat export supplies. Last month, compared to the previous month, the volume of external wheat supplies almost doubled – from 40.4 thousand tons to 72.2 thousand tons. Apparently, farmers sold off their stocks to replenish working capital on the eve of the spring field work campaign.
The proclamation of the agri-food sector as a national priority and the allocation of at least 15% of the state budget of the Republic of Moldova for its development is the first point of the resolution of the Association “Moldova Fruct”, adopted at the jubilee (20th since its creation) annual general meeting of the organization’s members.
Kazakh grain supplies resumed after a two-week break since the beginning of the war in the Middle East. This week Ak Bidai Terminal in Aktau started transshipment of grain to Iran.
In the period from July 2025 to February 2026 inclusive, the Republic of Moldova exported 66.8 thousand tons of sunflower oil, which is almost six times higher than the extremely low volume of the previous season (only 11.65 thousand tons). In the current season, the processing of products inside the country resumed.
With the beginning of spring agricultural works, the National Center for Research and Seed Production (CNCPS) will intensify its activities in production and research areas. This year, the institution will allocate about 2.6 thousand hectares of agricultural land for commercial cultivation of spring crop seeds and experimental demonstration plots.
In January-February 2026, Moldova sent more than 17 thousand tons of grapes to foreign markets. Its exports continue in March, but the purchase prices of winegrowers are discouraging.
In the first two months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, Ukraine increased exports of rapeseed oil in value terms by 34 times – from $3 million to $102 million.
At the opening of the session, oil was trading around $110 per barrel. As of 5:55 Moscow time, the cost of May futures for Brent increased by 4.5% to $112.26 per barrel. In general, oil rose in price by about 11% during the week, and for the month the growth exceeded 50%.
On Wednesday, March 18, global oil prices showed a decline after the news of resumption of oil exports from Iraq’s Kirkuk fields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
Under the new regulations, local authorities will be obliged to identify ragweed-contaminated areas, map out ragweed hotspots and potential areas of spread, and coordinate with owners to eradicate this invasive plant. At the national level, public institutions in the fields of agriculture, environment and health will be responsible for informing and controlling ragweed control campaigns.
During the Soviet period, the Central Asian republics were stereotypically perceived as an arid region. But over the last 40 years, water availability per capita in the region has become even more scarce – it has decreased by more than three times.
Ukraine has agreed to EU technical and financial assistance to resume oil supplies through the Druzhba oil pipeline.
During an inspection at the Leuseni border crossing point, inspectors from the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) found a very large (more than 9.3 tons) of imported peppers that did not comply with national regulations.
