Ukrainian contraband affects sales of domestic sugar, association

Sales of domestically produced sugar have significantly dropped because of large amounts smuggled into Moldova from Ukraine, and this makes domestic manufacturers lower their prices and resort to exports, losing the market to smugglers in full season, the Moldovan Union of Sugar Manufactures (UPZM) complained in a statement. A monitoring by the UPZM revealed a massive presence of Ukrainian sugar on the shelves of stores in northern Moldova. UPZM Board President Alexander Koss said that Ukraine had an excessive supply of 600,000 tonnes caused by overproduction and sugar cane imports imposed by the WTO. This can easily choke the Moldovan market, whose annual demand is just 65,000 tonnes. The UPZM blame the intensification in contraband activity on the inadequate border control along the Ukrainian frontier with the Transnistrian region and on the complicity of some Moldovan officials deriving profits from contraband. “I am aware that our public statement concerning the escalation of sugar smuggling activity is going to annoy government representatives. We anticipate public attacks against us rather than efforts to counter this negative phenomenon”, said Alexander Koss, hoping however that “good sense will prevail” and the authorities will intervene.