Provisional licensing of grain and oilseed imports

Imports of grains and oilseeds will be subject to a provisional licensing regime by 31 October 2026. Today Parliament voted in second reading the draft law providing for the establishment of this mechanism, with no possibility of extending the deadline. The document was criticized by the opposition.

The report on the draft law was presented to the plenary by Dorian Istratii, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance.


“The Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance examined in second reading the draft law on the provisional licensing of imports of grain and oilseed crops. We reiterate that the draft law proposes the provisional regulation, through the licensing of imports of grain and oilseed crops, by way of derogation from the provisions of Law No. 160/2011,” Dorian Istratii stated.


The Deputy Chair of the committee noted that the document was also examined in the context of the proposals and objections formulated in the Government’s opinion and in the opinion of the General Legal Department of the Parliament’s Secretariat.


“The committee examined the draft law in the context of the proposals and objections set out in the opinion of the Government of the Republic of Moldova and in the opinion of the General Legal Department of the Parliament’s Secretariat. The outcome of the examination of the submitted proposals is reflected in the summary table, which forms an integral part of this report, while the draft law, redrafted in accordance with the proposals accepted by the committee, is attached to the report,” Istratii said.


The legislative initiative belongs to Serghei Ivanov, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Food Industry. According to the explanatory note, provisional licensing is intended to prevent massive imports of grains and oilseeds from neighboring countries from harming domestic agricultural producers.

The author of the draft law notes that the current price of wheat on the domestic market is 1.5 lei lower than the price at the port of Constanța.

Applications for import licenses will be examined by a commission made up of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, and the National Food Safety Agency.

The import license will be issued free of charge. It may be requested by individuals and legal entities engaged in animal husbandry, the production of oils and fats, the manufacture of milling products, or the preparation of feed for farm animals. At the same time, license holders will not be entitled to sell and/or export the imported goods.

A similar mechanism for licensing grain and oilseed imports was applied in the Republic of Moldova during 2024–2025 as well.

The draft law will enter into force upon the publication in the Official Journal.