Moldova likely to introduce customs taxes for Ukrainian meat, dairy, cement imports

18:32 | 23.03.2016 Category: Economic

Chisinau, 23 March /MOLDPRES/-According to a government decision carried out by the Economics Ministry, dairy products, meat and cement will no longer be part of the free trade with Ukraine. The document provides for the introduction of customs taxes in the trade regime with the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) until 31 December 2016.

The introduction of customs taxes is meant to protect the internal market from massive imports of Ukrainian dairy products, which according to customs statistics, have increased by 15 per cent. The draft was carried out at the request of Moldovan diary and meat producers, who complain of unfair competitiveness.

The Economics Ministry states that the draft decision was approved by public authorities and will be submitted to the government for approval next week. At the same time, the ministry plans to organize a meeting between Moldovan and Ukrainian experts in the field in late March.

During the cabinet meeting today, Prime Minister Pavel Filip asked Economics Minister Octavian Calmic to organize additional consultations on this subject, “to protect the producers on one hand, and ensure an absolutely loyal competitiveness on the market, on the other hand, in order to prevent the elimination of exports from raising prices”.

Moldovan farmers accused the government of postponing the introduction of some customs taxes designed to protect the local market from Ukrainian poultry and dairy imports, early this week. “After the embargo Russia put on their products, Ukrainian producers started to penetrate the Moldovan market more actively. The National Food Safety Agency has recently accredited dozens of Ukrainian companies, which already make massive imports of meat and milk on the Moldovan market,” the head of UniAgroProtect, Alexandru Slusari said.

Ukrainian imported products are cheaper than Moldovan ones. Farmers say Moldova risks losing more poultry and dairy factories.

(Reporter V. Bercu, Editor L. Alcaza)

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