---
title: "Moldovan farmers dump bumper tomato crops amid surging imports "
url: https://moldova1.md/p/87927/moldovan-farmers-dump-bumper-tomato-crops-amid-surging-imports
published: 2026-10-18T05:00:00Z
language: en
author: "Redacția  TRM"
section: "Economic"
source: moldova1.md
---

# Moldovan farmers dump bumper tomato crops amid surging imports 

> Moldovan vegetable growers are dumping unharvested produce or selling directly from fields, facing persistent retail distribution barriers and mounting foreign competition despite harvesting record yields this season.

[Video](https://www.youtube.com/embed/P_X6-kDj7RQ)

Moldovan vegetable growers are dumping unharvested produce or selling directly from fields, facing persistent retail distribution barriers and mounting foreign competition despite harvesting record yields this season.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/b543cc00-463a-4727-9b58-20f48b9721c3.jpg)

**Market access hurdles hit local producers**

In the eastern district of Rezina, farmer Andrei Ionașcu, who has cultivated vegetables for 14 years in the village of Ignăței, failed to secure buyers for dozens of tons of domestic-variety tomatoes yielding between 10 and 80 kilograms per vine. After spending a week attempting to sell at agricultural markets in the capital Chișinău without finding commercial off-takers, Ionașcu was forced to discard part of the spoiled harvest and retreat to rural direct sales.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/59c39b4c-67ab-4534-8466-e4c7fc75a775.jpg)

Access problems persist at the district level. Although Ionașcu holds an agricultural trading contract valid through 2028 outside the municipal market in Rezina, market operators prohibited his vehicle from parking on-site and offered an indoor stall inaccessible to his delivery van.

*“At the agricultural sector we currently operate 51 stalls used by local producers and traders,”* said Alexandru Vișnevski, manager of the Rezina market. *“We physically cannot accommodate growers arriving in commercial trucks or extended-wheelbase vehicles.”*

**Direct-field sales and structural supply gaps**

Left without commercial channels, Ionașcu began selling from the roadside near a store and invited residents via social media to harvest tomatoes directly from his fields. Daily sales fluctuate between 300 and 400 kilograms at a wholesale rate of €0.26 (approx. 5 MDL) per kilogram, allowing him to recover only marginal operational outlays.

*“We decided to come and support local growers, especially since we live in neighboring villages,”* said one customer purchasing tomatoes in Ignăței. *“The price is very affordable, even too low given the immense labor involved.”*

The bottleneck reflects a broader domestic crisis. Rodion Gudim, executive director of the Association of Vegetable Producers and Exporters, noted that unsold tomato volumes remain scattered across multiple districts due to depressed prices and the absence of advance purchase contracts.

*“We strongly advise our association members to negotiate supply contracts with Moldovan buyers between November and February, well before planning production for future seasons,”* Gudim said.

The supply chain breakdown coincides with expanding foreign market penetration. Moldova imported 84,400 tons of vegetables in 2025, marking a 16 percent increase from 2024 and deepening the domestic sector's structural imbalance.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/1ec39035-92fd-4ef4-a877-b79816f42a3b.jpg)

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