News about Agribusiness

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.

The launch of cooperation projects aimed at harmonizing the national agricultural sector with the European Union requirements was discussed during a meeting between the head of the MAIA Agriculture and Food Ministry, Ludmila Catlabuga, and the Italian Ambassador to Moldova, Giuseppe Maria Perricon, and the director of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM Bari), Biagio Di Terlizzi.

February 2026 showed that the Moldovan grain market does not freeze in the off-season, but works due to stable stocks and long-term contracts. At that time, more than 112 thousand tons (worth more than 431 million lei) were shipped. These are high indicators for a “quiet” month. March answered the main question: was February an exception or is it a trend? The answer is that it is a trend, and with high dynamics.

Spring frosts in Ukraine resulted in the loss of about 50% of the crop of early stone trees. For this reason, apricots and cherries may rise in price by 30-50%.

The government decided to partially compensate farmers for the excise duty on diesel fuel used in the period from March 1 to May 31, 2026. For this purpose, 110 million lei will be allocated from the reserve fund.

For some Moldovan farmers, the sowing campaign-2026 is just beginning. And for Moldovan sugar beet growers, it should have already ended. But the sowing of sugar beet has been delayed. Visions for its harvest and domestic sugar production are vague. The situation with sugar import is close to scandalous. But let’s talk about everything in order.

Milk producers in Ukraine are in a difficult situation due to rising prices for energy and other inputs, as well as “war challenges” and new EU requirements.

In the south of the Republic of Moldova, where water and agro-technologies make the difference between an ordinary fruit harvest and competitive products, Dimitri Caramalac has built step by step a family business for the production of quality table grapes. In 2025, thanks to investments in certification according to the GLOBALG.A.P. international standard, Caramalac Agro SRL intends to actively enter the European Union market.