News about Agribusiness

The financial management of the Grape and Wine Fund may change. A new bill provides for the transfer of the fund’s treasury account to the direct management of the National Grape and Wine Bureau (ONVV).

The Trans-Oil Group of Companies denies allegations against its founder, Vazha Jashi, regarding an alleged scheme to ship Ukrainian grain to Iran through a company it controls. This information was published by the newspaper *Ukrainska Pravda*.

Moldovan farmers have a chance to harvest the best wheat crop since the beginning of this decade. Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA) estimate the potential 2026 harvest from 339,000 hectares of wheat crops at 1.58 million metric tons (4.6 metric tons per hectare).

Moldova exported just over 7,000 metric tons of apples from the 2025 harvest (totaling $6.4 million, at $0.9 per kilogram) in June 2026. This is a very significant volume of exports for a month that traditionally marks the end of the marketing season.

Global pork production will continue to grow at a moderate pace in 2026. According to a forecast by analysts at AMI, total production will increase by 0.6% to reach 129.5 million metric tons. The main drivers of growth will be China, Brazil, and the United States, which are ramping up production and offsetting the decline in pig farming in European Union countries.

In the context of World Rural Development Day, the Agency for Agricultural Interventions and Payments (AIPA) highlighted the role of the Republic of Moldova’s authorities in supporting investments aimed at improving living conditions and enhancing the well-being of the country’s rural population.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Agency for Agricultural Interventions and Payments (AIPA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA), will hold the first four seminars for operators in the agri-food sector in the districts of Orhei, Criuleni, Șoldănești, and Rezina, the first four seminars explaining the principles, objectives, and methods for implementing the Strategic Program for Agricultural Policy 2026–2030 (PSPA).

Corn futures surged sharply on major commodity exchanges after an abnormal heat wave caused serious damage to the crop in France, one of the European Union’s key corn-producing countries.

The Republic of Moldova is experiencing a period of steady decline in walnut exports to the European Union. In the first half of 2026, Moldova’s share of the European walnut market fell to 2.2%, with exports totaling just 1,700 metric tons. In 2025, Moldova’s walnut exports totaled just 3,690 metric tons, accounting for 2.5% of the EU’s total imports of this product. This is the lowest level in the past decade.

The National Agency for Research and Development (ANCD) has announced a call for proposals titled “Promoting Excellence in Scientific Research” for 2027–2028. A total of 24 million lei has been allocated to fund research, and the maximum grant amount per project will be 600,000 lei.

The export season for last year’s sunflower seed harvest from Argentina is nearing its end with a record volume of nearly 1.3 million metric tons. The geography of shipments shows that the Black Sea region—specifically Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey—is the epicenter of these exports. Indirectly, but significantly, this also affects the oilseed market in the Republic of Moldova.

A region develops not when it adopts a new administrative structure, but when it develops its own economic function. In other words, a clear answer to the question: what does this region produce, and how can it finance its future? The budget, the council, the autonomy charter, and even the university—these are all just a shell.

The Agency for Agricultural Interventions and Payments (AIPA) has completed the process of receiving and reviewing applications submitted under the government financial assistance program providing compensation for excise taxes on diesel fuel used in agricultural operations.  

“Romanian exporters can transport cherries by truck (from the Republic of Moldova, ed. LP) to Belarus and Russia, but our producers cannot transport (fruit to these countries, ed. LP) directly. That’s the paradox,” notes Sergiu Ștefanco, a member of the Moldovan Parliament from the “Democracy at Home” party, in a short video posted on Facebook.

In June 2026, the average value of the FAO Food Price Index stood at 130.3 points, down 0.4 points (0.3%) from May. On average, the index for the five food commodity groups tracked remained stable over the past month, as higher global prices for vegetable oils and meat were offset by lower prices for cereals, dairy products, and sugar.

Horse sales in Russia have surged amid the fuel crisis.

As more and more farmers join the mass harvest, Moldova’s fruit and vegetable market is entering a period of the first (summer) drop in prices for new potatoes.

The Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan intends to restrict the import of apples into the country. The relevant order has been submitted for public comment. According to the draft, from August 1 through December 31, 2026, the import of apples into Kazakhstan by road, rail, and water is planned to be banned.

The Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AQTA) has announced the launch of a large-scale digitalization initiative for the livestock sector, under which the country will completely phase out traditional physical livestock markets in favor of electronic commodity exchanges.

The milk production sector (raw milk) is undergoing a period of structural transformation: the gradual (though not very rapid) expansion of industrial dairy farms is accompanied by a steady decline in milk production on small farms and in the households of the country’s rural population.