News about Infrastructure
The hot weather in August will bring forward the start of the mass harvest of early-ripening walnut varieties bred in Moldova (“Peschansky,” “Kazaku,” and others) by about a week. It is tentatively scheduled to begin in early September. Just a few years ago, the walnut harvest in commercial orchards began in the second half of the first month of fall.
The Ministry of Defense has planned 14 capital construction procurement procedures for the first half of this year to develop military infrastructure at the military camp in Băcioi, for a total estimated amount of approximately 434.9 million lei, excluding VAT. According to the monitoring report, only three procedures had been completed by the end of this period.
In early August, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Kyiv is holding consultations with Warsaw regarding the possible transit of grain. Among the options is the use of the Polish ports of Gdańsk, Szczecin, and Gdynia for the onward export of Ukrainian products to third-country markets. However, Polish farmers fear that a significant portion of the transit shipments will remain in their country, as was the case three years ago. The reason for these concerns is a lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
One week to ten days before the start of the sunflower harvest in Moldova, the gross harvest volume is estimated to be between 0.8 and 1 million metric tons.
An additional 20 cubic meters of water per second is flowing into the main channel of the Danube following the opening of the lock at the Ratkeve-Shorokshar section. According to Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, this could raise the water level near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant by two centimeters.
Moldova’s grain and oilseed market is rapidly approaching its “moment of truth.” That is, an official and reasonably detailed announcement regarding what the “rules of the game” will be for these commodities in Moldova through the end of 2026.
Over the past workweek, the export price of Romanian milling-grade wheat (protein content of 12% or higher) rose by approximately $6/metric ton to $260/metric ton (FOB Constanța). However, many market participants view this increase as insignificant in light of the major challenges already facing Romania’s transportation infrastructure, particularly its port infrastructure.
The traditional exhibition and fair featuring honey and bee products, held in celebration of Moldova’s Beekeepers’ Day, will take place August 19–23 in the square in front of the Cathedral in Chisinau.
“Moldovan Railways” stated that the grain train, which derailed on a “problematic” section of track, reached its destination—the port of Giurgiulești. However, the incident on August 15 highlighted the deplorable state of Moldova’s infrastructure just as the government was promising to create a safe corridor for Ukraine.
Freight rates for barges departing from Ukrainian ports on the Danube continue to rise due to critically low water levels. Navigation restrictions are reducing the available tonnage and leaving shippers with fewer options for transporting agricultural cargo.
Latvia intends to seek approximately €7 billion from the European Union’s next multiannual budget to offset the economic and infrastructure costs associated with the escalating threats on the EU’s eastern border and the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Today, the board of the association “Forța Fermierilor” decided that “if by Friday there is no progress on issues of transit control and licensing of Ukrainian grain imports, as well as maintaining the reduced VAT rate on agricultural products, the organization reserves the right to organize mass protests.”
Four pipelines crossing the Prut River will provide water from Romania to approximately 120,000 residents of Moldova. In the future, this number could rise to 250,000 people.
The reason is the lack of a contractor. The first tender to select a company to restore the building did not take place—not a single bid was submitted. The authorities have reopened the bidding process.
The city of Nisporeni, which has been designated the 2026 Sports Capital, will receive 2 million lei to support the development of sporting events. However, according to Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, the government’s ambitions for developing sports infrastructure are much greater.
The center will be located on public land approximately 6 km from the village of Șerpeni in the Anenii Noi district — at a safe distance from populated areas and water sources.
More than 400 young athletes from 35 countries competed in the Junior Triathlon European Cup—Chisinau 2026
Two Spanish F-18s stationed in Romania as part of a NATO mission intercepted and shot down an unidentified drone in the skies near the border with Moldova, Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta said.
Postal service providers with a turnover of at least 10 million lei could help offset the net cost of the universal postal service, according to a draft amendment to the Postal Communications Law filed with Parliament.
Seven freight cars carrying grain derailed on the evening of August 15 near the village of Kirkany in the Cahul district. The train was heading toward Giurgiulești.
