News about Agribusiness

Six investment projects with a grant component in the livestock sector in Moldova were selected as a result of the AGGRI project’s fourth phase competition.

In April 2026, the Fund for Agricultural Credit (FCA) program provided financial resources to support 75 agricultural enterprises. A total of 483 micro and small enterprises in the agricultural sector were financed under this program between March 2025 and April 2026.

MAIA announced that 53 local action groups (GALs) have been selected for funding under the LEADER program for the period 2026-2027.

MAIA leadership today met with a delegation from the State of North Carolina (USA) led by Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall. They discussed the process of building a strategic partnership between the countries in the areas of agriculture, applied research and advisory services.

The Union of Sugar Producers of Moldova (UPZM) and the Association of Sugar Beet Producers of Moldova call on the government to “urgently resume the procedure of approving the decree on the regulation of sugar imports”. The draft of this document provided for the indefinite exemption of sugar from the free trade regime under the agreement between Moldova and CEFTA countries. A week ago, the draft was withdrawn, the State Chancellery said. The reasons were not given, but apparently one of them was the absence of a positive opinion from the Competition Council.

The National Museum of Moldovan History hosted the public presentation of the project “7000 Years with Wine” – an initiative that brings together winemakers, economists, historians, marketers and designers. The project is realized by enthusiasts who are convinced that Moldovan wine has a history that the whole world should hear.

Contrary to expectations, the monthly export of apples this spring in Moldova is not increasing, but decreasing. In April 2026, Moldova exported 10.2 thousand tons of apples, which is less than a month earlier (10.8 thousand tons). Moreover, this year, March exports of Moldovan fruit were below the five-year average for this month.

The frosts of the first nights of May have significantly changed for the worse the estimates of damage to the fruit sector of Moldova from spring frosts. According to the first impression of fruit business operators, from a quarter to a third of the total area of orchards in the country was significantly affected.

Former Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat says that today’s Moldovan economy is not in a state of growth, but is just trying to recover from the crises of the last years.

The European Beekeepers’ Association (EBA) urges the European Commission to take emergency action by temporarily excluding Turkey, Ukraine and Russia from the list of third countries allowed to import bees. The reason is the detection of a dangerous pest – the mite Tropilaelaps spp. in these countries (as well as in Georgia and Belarus, with the prospect of rapid westward migration).

In 2026, interest in flat nectarines is noticeably increasing both on the part of buyers and growers. According to breeding companies, the flat nectarine is rapidly moving out of the niche segment: in European market players, it already accounts for about 10% of sales of planting material. The growing interest is not only due to the unusual shape of the fruit, but also due to the improved taste, productivity and commercial attractiveness of new varieties.

In April, the volume of Ukrainian grain shipments by rail to Poland and Romania almost halved. Whereas railroad deliveries of grain from Ukraine to Hungary remained at a stable high level. This was discussed during an online meeting between representatives of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC and participants of the agricultural market.

At least 8 out of 10 agricultural workers in our country work legally. “The whole society, and especially the MPs, should know about this,” says Alexandru Bădăreu, former president of the Forța Fermierilor association and consultant in economic policy.

The state-owned enterprise Railways of Moldova resumed traffic on an important section of the Cahul-Giurgiulesti line, which provides access to a strategic port in southern Moldova. At the end of April, the company conducted test runs on the restored section near the village of Valeni.

The former Minister of Labor and Social Protection, MP Marcel Spatar draws attention to the high level of informal employment in agriculture in Moldova, which deprives workers of guarantees and social protection. He calls day laborers one of the most vulnerable categories of workers.

In less than two weeks, from last Friday to this moment, onions on the Ukrainian market rose in price by an average of 40-45%. Ukrainian farmers were able to increase selling prices for onions for the first time since the beginning of February this year. On the whole, a cardinal increase in prices for this vegetable in Ukraine has not been recorded since mid-May 2025.

“He who does not work does not eat!” The country’s labor reserves are being replenished with prison labor, solving the problem of labor shortage. Yesterday, parliament voted in the first reading of a bill amending the way prisoners’ labor is used, while restricting their money accounts and income.

The energy crisis has sharply spurred interest in biofuels. Against the backdrop of oil supply disruptions, countries are urgently increasing the share of vegetable components in gasoline and diesel, hoping to reduce their dependence on imports.

The gross agricultural product in the Republic of Moldova increased by 8.5% (in comparable prices) in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year. The increase was provided by the livestock sector – plus 8,8% against the indicator for the mentioned period of 2025. In January-March of this year, traditionally, the main share (98.3%) of agricultural production fell on products of animal origin.

The Moldovan government approved the Regulation on authorization, cultivation, monitoring, marketing and processing of industrial hemp. The document provides for the expansion of opportunities for the use of raw materials obtained from industrial hemp, which can increase the yield per hectare of agricultural land by about 40%. It will also provide private entrepreneurship with more opportunities for investment and agribusiness development.