Starting last Saturday, chicken is available at the Chisinau Central Market for 35 lei/kg, as compared to 39 lei earlier. The president of the Association of Meat Producers and Importers, Vladimir Shaulski, told the Economic Press Club on Tuesday, June 24, that meat prices fell slightly following the recent meeting between the wholesalers and the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The Association has been in talks with the largest retailers in Chisinau and across the country. We have agreed to freeze the prices of several categories of meat products until autumn. This and other factors, like the rise in imports of meat, will alleviate the situation on this market segment”, he said. Ion Cretu, department head at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, informed that the annual consumption of meat in the last two years in Moldova was roughly 120,000 tonnes. About 100,000 tonnes are covered by local production, and the rest is imported. These amounts enable an annual consumption of 39 kilograms per capita. Deputy Economy and Trade Minister Iurie Muntean, who is also the chair of the commission that issues authorizations for meat import, has said that the local market is much more stable than in other countries. The commission is issuing authorizations to all the companies, without discrimination, following the principle “first come, first served”. Limits on meat imports are updated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry on a monthly basis and if the demand of a company cannot be satisfied, it is transferred to the next month. At present, about 70 companies are in the meat import business and their number is rising. Concerning the price developments in the next couple of months, Muntean said they would almost certainly not rise, thanks to the contribution of peasant stock breeders, who usually slaughter livestock in autumn.