Four companies were fined 91 million lei in total for taking part in harsh cartel-type horizontal agreements based on continuous concerted practice aimed at setting selling prices and other trading conditions when selling phytosanitary products and fertilizers of two types to third parties on the county’s territory. The Competition Council said this is the largest cartel identified so far and the imposed fine is the largest in the institution’s history and is probably the heaviest one in the country’s history too, IPN reports.

In a press briefing, Eugen Cozmulici, head of the Council’s External Relations Division, said the four companies are: “Agrostoc”, “Bioprotect”, “DiazChim” and SA “Fertilitatea-Chişinău”. The imposed fine is the largest one stipulated by the legislation for such actions.

It was determined that the given companies communicated and agreed the prices and some of the conditions of trading phytosanitary products to national agricultural companies. The prices of similar products sold in Ukraine and Romania are by 28-43% lower than in Moldova.

Eugen Cozmulici noted that the turnover and assets of the four companies increased by hundreds of millions of lei up to doubling during the past five years. Consequently, the consumers have to buy agricultural products at higher prices and the national products become less competitive on foreign markets.

The damage caused by the companies by carter agreements in 2015-2020 was estimated at about 190 million lei.

Eugen Cozmulici also said that some of these companies in the recent past exerted unprecedented pressure on the institution by calumnious denouncements. The Competition Council’s decision could be yet challenged in court.