MOLDOVA (16 September)
Aggregate cereal harvest is estimated at about 1.2 million tonnes, which reaches only 47 percent of last year’s harvest level. A severely cold winter and an exceptionally dry spring have compromised more than three-quarters of autumn and spring grains, wheat in particular. More than 40 percent of the 343 000 hectares planted with wheat and about 71 000 hectares planted with barley were completely decimated, while yields on the remaining wheat and barely areas are less than one-third of the average yields. FAO staff who visited Moldova from 7–12 July 2003 estimated the wheat harvest at about 220 000 tonnes and barley at 45 800 tonnes (mainly spring), compared with 1.12 million tonnes of wheat and 256 000 tonnes of barley in 2002. The maize harvest has been estimated at about 967 000 tonnes, compared with almost 1.2 million tonnes last year.
Aggregate cereal import requirements for the 2003/04 marketing year are estimated at 560 000 tonnes, including 430 000 tonnes of wheat and 120 000 tonnes of barley. Moldova exported a record 1.1 million tonnes of cereals during 2002/03 marketing year including some 277 000 tonnes of wheat and 68 000 tonnes of maize, when international prices were significantly low. FAO is in the process of distributing 1 000 tonnes of winter wheat seeds to some of the most vulnerable farmers under an emergency assistance project.