The import of grain from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova will be allowed only to Romanian farmers and processors and will be possible only on the basis of a license, Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu said on Wednesday.

“The import of grain from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova will be allowed only to Romanian farmers and processors and will be possible only on the basis of a license. As we promised, we protect Romanian production and the work of Romanian farmers. The regulatory act is ready and will be approved by the Romanian government,” the Minister of Agriculture wrote on his Facebook page.

The mechanism for granting permission to Romanian economic operators to import wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and rapeseed from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova was published on Tuesday in transparent decisions on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), according to Agerpres.

The draft regulatory act provides that only Romanian business entities operating in the following sectors of the economy may have permission to import agricultural products from Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova: production of oil and fats, production of flour products, production of preparations for feeding agricultural animals animals and animal breeding.

According to MADR, the agricultural products that can be imported under the regulation subject to public consultation are: wheat, corn, canola or wild canola, whether or not crushed, and sunflower seeds, whether or not crushed.

The authorization procedure requires that a business entity with its headquarters and work place(s) in the territory of Romania, which intends to import agricultural products originating from Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova, submit an application to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the issuance certificate an import permit based on the presentation of a document showing the need to replenish stocks, as well as other necessary documents specified in the project.

MADR, on the basis of the report issued by the authorization commission, issues the import permit after verification by the Romanian authorities of the information provided by the operators requesting the permit.

According to the project, the establishment of these measures to regulate the import of agricultural products from Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova was necessary given that the war of aggression in Ukraine caused a significant impact on maritime transport operations in Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. , which accounted for approximately 90% of Ukrainian exports of grain and oil crops, in this context, Romania facilitated the import and transit to the EU of 65% of agricultural products of Ukrainian origin.

This, combined with the indirect consequences, namely a significant increase in the prices of production inputs, has currently led to a situation where about 45% of Romanian farmers are unable to pay their debts for production inputs and payments due in September, respectively October 2023 year, due to very low prices for agricultural products (wheat, barley, rapeseed, sunflower and corn), which do not cover very high production costs.

The Ministers of Agriculture of Slovakia and Ukraine recently agreed on the creation of a licensing system for operations with grain, which will allow the embargo on the import of four Ukrainian agricultural products to Slovakia to be lifted when the new licensing system is operational.

In September, the European Commission lifted a ban imposed by five EU member states from Eastern Europe, including Romania, on the import of Ukrainian grain in exchange for Kiev’s commitment to take measures to control the flow of grain into the country. neighboring countries. However, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary declared that they will maintain their own restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grain, despite the decision of the European Commission.​