May 18, 2011

Moldova lifts wheat export ban

Moldova has lifted its wheat export ban, following a meeting of Moldova's government on May 10.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Vasilii Bumacov, said the wheat export ban introduced in February 2011 had achieved its goal, by stabilising the situation in the grain market and to avoid rises in prices for bread.

He emphasised that the country has enough wheat till the new harvest.

He said the difference between the available and the needed volume of food wheat currently totals only 8,000 tonnes, which will be compensated by flour import from Ukraine.

Bumacov said specialists expect a good grain harvest this year, that is why the ban on wheat export needs to be removed and peasants should be given the opportunity to conclude export contracts.

Moldovan Prime Minister, Vladimir Filat, told the Ministry of Agriculture to monitor the situation on the crops market and in case of necessity, to interfere and apply market mechanisms to improve the situation.

The wheat export ban was introduced by Moldova on February 2, 2011 since the volume of wheat exported by Moldova from August 1, 2010 till January 31, 2011 had exceeded thrice the volumes of grain sold abroad for the same period of the previous year.