In comments to Logos Press, operators at Moldova’s fruit market noted that this situation is real and has existed for several years—since the start of the war in Ukraine (though some of the underlying factors arose even earlier). This reality stems from a combination of administrative and technical factors, one of the main ones being the very limited number of “permits”—that is, authorizations for Moldovan trucks to transport cargo through the European Union. Moldovan businesspeople have adapted to the situation. Local trucks deliver the fruit across Moldova to the border, where they leave the loaded trailers (which are then picked up by Romanian transporters and taken to the aforementioned CIS countries). Meanwhile, Moldovan trucks pick up the empty trailers right there at the Moldovan border and transport them back.
Of course, such a multi-step scheme requires coordination and involves additional costs and losses (such as a lower purchase price for Moldovan fruit, in particular). Nevertheless, since it exists, it must still be economically viable. This is especially true during agricultural seasons when Belarus and Russia experience crop failures or fruit shortages caused by other factors. Consequently, prices for such fruit are relatively high, while quality requirements are moderate.
Finally, for the Moldovan side, this arrangement involves not only costs but also, indirectly, benefits. In particular, foreign transport companies claim that it has recently become difficult to refuel heavy-duty trucks in Russia.
