Representatives of Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, the EU and the USA are discussing in Constanta ways to redirect road exports of agricultural products by sea and rail.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Moldova reported this, noting that these issues are being discussed in Constanta with the authorities of Romania and Ukraine, as well as with high-ranking officials of the European Union and the United States. This meeting is a continuation of discussions in Galati that began in August, when the parties pledged to intensify efforts to improve the transit and flow of domestic agricultural products to foreign markets through the port of Constanta. The Moldovan delegation also includes the Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spinu, the director of the River Agency Igor Zaharia, the director of the state enterprise “Railway of Moldova” Oleg Tofilat and the Ambassador of Moldova to Romania Victor Chirila. Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Vladimir Bolea, noted that Moldova hopes to receive financial assistance from the EU to modernize infrastructure in order to speed up the transportation of agricultural products. It was also said that Moldova intends to build at least 3 temporary berths on the Prut River in order to be able to transport more cargo by water. In addition to the construction of berths, the Moldovan authorities are looking for funds to modernize railways to facilitate the transportation and transit of grain, including Ukrainian. Moldova would like to raise $3 million under the Corridors of Solidarity program to repair the Cahul-Giurgiulesti railway section. Traffic in this section was suspended after a collapse occurred along a section of about 300 m. As a result, agricultural cargo must travel an additional distance, which means higher costs. It should be noted that Ukraine exported about 9.2 million tons of grain through the port of Constanta in January-August 2023, which is more than in the whole of 2022, although transportation volumes have recently decreased after Russian attacks on the Danube ports prompted Ukrainian exporters to switch to road and rail routes. Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain exporters, and the port of Constanta is currently the most important alternative export route for Ukraine, as grain arrives at the Romanian port by truck, rail or barge along the Danube.// 15.09.2023 — InfoMarket.
