The Moldovan government will not extend the licensing requirement for imports of grain and oilseed crops from Ukraine in 2026, which had been introduced at the request of local farmers, ProAgro Group reports.

According to Moldova’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Liudmila Catlabuga, imports will be carried out under normal commercial conditions. At the same time, the market will remain under enhanced monitoring to prevent significant imbalances and enable prompt intervention if necessary.

Earlier, the Forța Fermierilor farmers’ association once again called on the authorities to extend mandatory licensing of grain and oilseed imports from Ukraine. Farmers insisted that the mechanism should remain in place until the end of the war in Ukraine in order to protect domestic production and Moldova’s exports to European markets.

Moldovan farmers had already demanded an extension of the licensing mechanism in June 2025, as well as the inclusion of rapeseed in the list of regulated products. At that time, the government decided to maintain mandatory licensing until the end of the current year.

Moldova introduced the licensing mechanism for wheat, corn, and sunflower imports in October 2023 following mass farmer protests and has since extended it several times. During this period, the licensing commission issued 25 licenses for various crops, including corn and sunflower seeds that are not produced domestically.

According to Moldovan authorities, the mechanism was intended to curb a sharp increase in imports and reduce pressure on domestic prices.

Previously, it was reported that Moldova and Ukraine had reached an agreement on significant discounts for rail transportation to ports of the Danube cluster.

Source: Elevatorist.com