The Government authorized the Material Reserves Agency to release 20,787.062 tonnes of food wheat from the state reserve for landing to business entities. The wheat will be released on a contract basis on the presentation of a bank or financial guarantee whose value will secure the quantity withdrawn from the state reserve and based on preliminary payment for the borrowed quantity on condition that the business entities do not have debts to the state reserve, IPN reports.
According to Minister of Home Affairs Pavel Voicu, the wheat reserve should be renewed as the storage period of the mentioned quantity of wheat expires this year and damage to the state budget can be caused if the quality of this wheat worsens.
Until May 10, 2021, wheat from the state reserve will be released to bakery, milling and animal-breeding companies. After May 10, wheat could be also provided to companies from other categories. The food wheat released from the state reserve will be replaced with wheat of this year’s crop in the same quantity until October 1, 2021.
Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Ion Perju said the country is supplied with food and forage wheat until the next crop that is expected in two months and a half. Even if last year was a difficult one, the wheat crop was of 570,000 tonnes. As many as 120,000 tonnes of wheat had been exported since July 1, 2020, while 37,000 tonnes had been imported into Moldova. The price of wheat in February was the highest. Now the price is declining as the crop this year is projected to be better than last year.
Acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi said it is important that the wheat from the state reserve be directed exclusively for domestic consumption.
