Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Moldova

GIEWS Country Brief: Republic of Moldova 15-April-2020

Attachments

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

  • Favourable crop conditions across country

  • Cereal output estimated at record high level in 2019

  • Above‑average cereal exports forecast in 2019/20 marketing year

  • Food inflation higher in February 2020 compared to previous year

Favourable crop conditions across country

Planting of the 2020 winter cereals, to be harvested in July and August, finalized in October 2019. Slightly below‑average precipitation amounts, between November 2019 and January 2020, were reported to have negatively affected part of the wheat crops. However, abundant rains in February and March benefitted crop conditions across the country, as shown by the positive Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) anomaly. Planting of the 2020 spring grains, to be harvested from August, started in April under generally favourable weather conditions.

Cereal output estimated at record high level in 2019

Harvesting of 2019 cereal crops, mainly maize and wheat, finalized in October 2019 and the aggregate output is estimated at 3.5 million tonnes, 20 percent above the five‑year average and an all‑time high. Maize output is officially estimated at a record high level of 2.1 million tonnes, on account of large plantings and favourable weather conditions which boosted yields. Wheat output is set at about 1.2 million tonnes, just above the five‑year average.

Above‑average cereal exports forecast in 2019/20 marketing year

Total cereal exports in the 2019/20 marketing year (July/June) are forecast at about 1 million tonnes, slightly above the average level. Maize exports are forecast at 450 000 tonnes, well above the average volumes on account of good domestic supplies from the 2019 record output. Exports of wheat are forecast at a near‑average level of 500 000 tonnes.

Food inflation higher in February 2020 compared to previous year

The National Bureau of Statistics reported that the general annual inflation was 6.4 percent in February 2020, about 4 percentage points higher than the rate reached 12 months before.

Food inflation was estimated at 11 percent, well above the 3.5 percent of the same month in 2019. Prices of fruits increased by over 50 percent between February 2019 and February 2020, mainly due to increased import costs. Prices of eggs increased by over 20 percent, while prices of bread were almost stable.