News about Agribusiness

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.

The global food market was highly vulnerable to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one third of the world’s urea exports pass. Military action in the Middle East has threatened global food security by paralyzing the production and export of critical fertilizers.

Between March 9 and March 15, 2026, several new outbreaks of dangerous animal diseases – rabies and African swine fever – were detected in the Republic of Moldova.

Forța Fermierilor, an association of producers and processors of grain and oilseeds, strongly disagrees with the model of financial assistance to farmers in connection with the rise in the price of diesel fuel envisaged in the draft government decree.

Last week, the Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA) authorized a total of 24.4 million lei in subsidies to be paid to farmers. While most of the previous tranche of payments from the National Fund for Agriculture and Rural Development of RM was mainly aimed at paying off the arrears of post-investment subsidies for 2024, the current one is subsidies in advance and for insurance.

The Chinese government is responding to sulfur supply disruptions due to conflict in the Middle East and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. The move has sharply raised shipping costs and sulfur prices, posing serious risks to the production of phosphate fertilizer needed for China’s spring planting campaign. The country imports about 47% of its sulphur, mostly from the Persian Gulf, so any disruption to transportation routes has a direct impact on domestic fertilizer production.