A group of businessmen are lobbying in favor of opening the Moldovan sugar market for cane sugar. Such an accusation was made by the Union of Sugar Producers of Moldova, the Association of Sugar Beet Producers and the National Union of Associations of Agricultural Producers “Uniagroprotect”. Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov has told IPN that he was always against the bringing of cane sugar into Moldova as this will lead to the destruction of the sugar industry.

“It’s impossible to produce beet sugar on a market that is open for cane sugar,” reads a statement issued by sugar producers. They remind that in 2002 the lobbying in favor of cane sugar brought the sector on the verge of bankruptcy. As a result of the import of 80,000 tonnes of cane sugar, Moldova was fully isolated from the sugar markets of the neighboring countries. The sector was then saved. Over the last few years, the sugar industry recovered owing to investments and turned into a stable sector of the national agro-industrial complex, which works according to the European standards and became one of the driving forces of Moldova’s economy.

Vasile Bumacov said attempts to bring cane sugar into Moldova were always made as some of the businessmen prefer only to import rather than to produce sugar. He underlined that he is against such a practice as it can destroy the sugar beet sector. Consequently, workplaces will be lost and the country’s economy will be affected.