News about Agribusiness

Increase in tariffs for road transportation services is becoming a key factor in trade in agricultural products. The increase in diesel and gasoline prices by an average of 30% over the last two weeks has almost led to a situation where the sale of agricultural commodities becomes unprofitable due to high transportation costs.

In 2025, Brazil recorded the highest agricultural production in history and consolidated its position as one of the world’s leading powers in food production. This is according to the latest data from the Brazilian State Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Spot prices for granulated urea in key FOB markets exceeded $700/t on the back of blocking most supplies from the Middle East, which limits available supply in the global market.

The law on phytosanitary products will be amended to unblock the market, avoid shortages of plant protection products and create predictable rules for farmers.

The attacks on Iran increased the wholesale price of flour-grade wheat from the Black Sea region by about $6/t.

European scientists are developing bio-based fertilizers that would reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian imports. One promising solution is algae grown on wastewater.

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.

UPDATED. The Parliament adopted in the first reading two draft laws on the regulation of short supply chains of agri-food products, one from PAS and one from Democrația Acasă. The opposition faction used a special “argument” for clarity: the deputies were given bulbs.

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.

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.

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.

Moldova is on the 5th place in the ranking of European countries with the lowest prices for chicken eggs.