Prime Minister Maia Sandu has called for the involvement of all civil servants on which the elimination of the monopoly on the export of walnuts depends, IPN reports.

"Several economic operators got criminal cases started against them and, respectively, these companies could not export walnuts. There were only a few businesses without criminal cases and monopoly was thus instituted. Now the process got stuck at the Prosecutor’s Office”, Maia Sandu said during the Government meeting. She noted the economic operators bought the walnuts from provincials who have a walnut tree or two, at very low prices.

Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Georgeta Mincu said that Moldova ranks fourth in the world by the export of walnuts. Total production is estimated at 14,000 tonnes per year. 10,000 tonnes are exported.

In her opinion, one of the solutions would be for the following transactions to remove the economic operators from the red corridor and to further allow the export of walnuts, with the proper verification of the current transactions.