Wheat: market stable but with regional peculiarities
In the segment “wheat” the grain market of Moldova in April – early May keeps relative stability. Prices fluctuate within 3-3,50 lei/kg. On average, wheat is purchased by traders at the price of 3.35 lei/kg – a slight decrease (minus 0.10 lei/kg) of the median price level compared to the corresponding March indicator.
“The market activity of the leader of the grain market in Moldova, Rusagro-Prim SRL, is especially noteworthy,” notes Iurie Rija, an expert in agro-marketing and director of the Association of Grain Exporters Agrocereale. – Currently, it is the most active player on the domestic market of the country. In the central zone of Moldova, the company offers a price of 3.40 lei/kg for wheat – about 0.25-0.30 lei/kg above the average market level. This indicates the market potential of this crop. Moreover, the forecast of wheat sowing condition for the future harvest is also positive: the fields look good, which reduces speculative pressure and contributes to maintaining the market balance”.
Corn: relative stability
Corn on the grain market of Moldova is traded at 3.20-3.90 lei/kg, with the average price of 3.55 lei/kg – almost stable since March (the difference is only about 0.05 lei/kg). Only near Giurgiulesti port the price for this grain reaches 3.90 lei/kg.
Sunflower: a window of opportunity that is rapidly closing
Sunflower on the raw agri-food market of Moldova is experiencing the most unstable period in the last few months. Available stocks have sharply decreased – major exporters have already covered their contractual obligations, the 2025/26 marketing season is almost over.
However, prices for marketable sunflower residues, in a sense unexpectedly, rose sharply – from the level of 11,10-11,50 lei/kg (at the beginning of April) to 11,80-12,60 lei/kg at present. The average price as of yesterday is 12.20 lei/kg – an increase of 1.45 lei/kg compared to the average price at the beginning of April. Current prices by region: south (Giurgiulesti) 12.50-12.60 lei/kg, north – 11.80-12.00 lei/kg
“The current price increase reflects not a structural improvement on the market, but pressure from local small exporters, who did not fulfill their contracts with Romanian buyers in advance and are now forced to buy up Moldovan sunflower at any price in order not to get sanctions from external partners,” Iurie Rija believes.
At the same time, the Turkish “window of opportunity” for Moldovan suppliers of sunflower will close soon – in the middle of this month. The determining factor in this direction of export is the duty-free import quota granted to Turkey until the end of May 2026. Accordingly, the contracts available for the Republic of Moldova require the loading of products onto ships (with accompanying documentation) no later than May 15, 2026. That is, the time frame is extremely narrow.
Warning: after the expiration of the Turkish quota, the domestic price of sunflower in Moldova, according to market operators’ estimates, will decrease to about 11.00 lei/kg. It makes sense for producers with stocks to evaluate the possibility to take advantage of the current window of opportunity.
Prospects
Barley will be the bottleneck of the Moldovan grain market in the medium term. The de facto planted area under this crop was much smaller than forecast, which will lead to a modest supply of this grain in the next marketing season. Most of the expected harvest will be used for domestic consumption (fodder), while exports will be reduced.
As a consequence, the forecasted price for Moldovan barley in the next season will again exceed the price of wheat by 0.50-1.00 lei/kg.
Winter rape and wheat are currently in good condition in most plantations.
The spring sowing campaign is in full swing, but in the northern part of the country the soil condition is far from ideal. The soil is extremely compacted, making spring tillage and sowing difficult. Under such conditions in the northern part of the country the sowing campaign may be delayed until the end of May or even the beginning of June. This is bad, because there is a high probability of a sharp rise in atmospheric temperature and drying of the sowing layer of soil.
Diesel fuel and logistics: the price increase continues.
The wholesale price of diesel fuel for agricultural producers in early May reached 30 lei/liter – a level slightly higher than the price at gas stations. This is explained by the difficulty of purchasing large volumes (20 tons and more) compared to small “ordinary” purchases – less than 200 liters. Traders avoid selling in large batches to minimize the risk of further price increases.
Domestic road transportation – tariffs increased by about 20% (by 100-120 lei/ton of cargo) compared to the winter period.
In the segment of water transportation, a slight decrease in freight was registered, correlating with the reduction of export volumes:
- Giurgiulesti – Marmara (Turkey): $44/t (compared to $46/t a month earlier).
- Route to Italy: $45/t ($50/t).
