April 22, 2011
 

Moldova to cancel wheat export ban at the end of April

The Government of Moldova has announced its plans to cancel the previously imposed export ban for wheat at the end of April 2011.

The permanent delegation of the International Monetary Fund to Moldova said that the country could undertake such commitment within frames of the supplementary memorandum on the economic and financial policy.

According to the published document, Moldova will not impose any new trading barriers. Besides, the Moldavian authorities promised to refrain from imposition of any new tariff or nontariff barriers to export trading.

At the end of May 2011, the Government of Moldova also obliged to provide the estimation of the present tariff or nontariff trading barriers and their accordance to obligations of Moldova to the World Trade Organization concerning access to markets.

As a reminder, Moldova imposed the export ban for wheat on February 2, 2011, because in the period of August 1, 2010 – January 31, 2011, the export volumes of wheat from Moldova exceeded the previous year export volumes by three times, and the country had the opportunity to lose its own wheat stocks in several months.

In 2010, wheat production in Moldova increased by 1.5% - to the level of 748,000 tonnes, including 240,000 tonnes of milling wheat with high gluten content. The annual domestic consumption of milling wheat in the country is estimated at the level of 340,000 tonnes.