Ukraine Threatens to Bar Moldovan Imports Amid Grain Dispute

A Kyiv official said on Monday that his country could ban all imports from Moldova if the authorities in Chisinau temporarily halt grain imports from Ukraine amid the threat of protests by Moldovan farmers.

"We have informed Chisinau that any restriction from Moldova will be considered an extremely unfriendly step and would entail the immediate ban of all imports from Moldova," Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, Taras Kacika, told Evropeiska Pravda.

His statement came after the Moldova's Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Vladimir Bolea spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Solskyi, on May 6 about the possibility of banning grain imports from Ukraine.

Moldovan farmers have repeatedly requested a ban because they claim that grain prices in Moldova have dropped significantly due to large-scale imports from Ukraine over the past year after the country's ports were paralysed due to the Russian invasion. They are also worried about the amount of storage available for their grain.

"The amount of domestic grain in warehouses is high, which puts pressure on farmers. They are worried they will not have space for the new crop," Bolea explained.

"At the same time, the export trend of local grain is seeing a downward trend, logistics costs have increased, and prices on international exchanges have collapsed," he added.

Ukraine exported grain worth $20.6 million to Moldova in 2022, an amount 5.2 times higher than in 2021, as well as oil products worth $57 million, 21 times more than in 2021.

Moldova is facing the same problem as Ukraine's other neighbours - cheap grain imports are bringing down prices and creating severe problems for domestic farmers.

The European Commission...