Moldovan farmers, officials discuss agro-food trade barriers

Almost 150 Moldovan farmers and representatives of the Moldovan Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry, Customs Service and the Main State Fiscal Inspectorate on June 10 discussed trade barriers imposed on the export of Moldovan agricultural products.

The Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry’s study entitled «Internal barriers imposed to Moldovan fresh vegetable and fruit export-beyond simplistic approaches» and elaborated with the financial support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was presented during today’s republican meeting of Moldovan agro-food exporters. According to the study, most of the trade barriers enumerated by the participants in the study refer to the issuance of inoffensiveness and phytosanitary certificates, customs procedures and fiscal issues.

The study has also revealed some of the Moldovan agro-food exports’ fundamental restrictions, which are induced by three major factors: more and more Russian consumers choose supermarkets; Russia has become a member of the World Trade Organisation; the percentage of exports to Russia is too high.

Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Vasile Bumacov said agro-food exports were strategic for Moldova, whereas the Agriculture Ministry would do its best to remove current trade barriers in this sector. “Barriers are caused by certain enterprises or people, who are trying to monopolise this field,” Bumacov said.

The head of the Customs Service, Tudor Balitchi, said customs procedures had been simplified over the last years. According to him, responsible authorities would continue to take efforts in this sense in order to ease the border crossing procedure for Moldovan agro-food exporters.

The total share of Moldovan agro-food exports oscillates between 42 and 28 per cent.

Adapted from Moldpres