Alexandru Slusari commented on the “Floarea Soarelui” plant’s work suspension: This is blackmail!

Alexandru Slusari accused the businessman, owner of the controlling stake, and general director of the Trans-Oil group, Vazhu Jasi, of blackmailing the country and using various media to tarnish the image of local farmers. The statements were made in the context of the scandal related to the suspension of the activity of a vegetable oil plant in Balti.

“In 2023, the world sunflower seed harvest recorded a record of more than 750 thousand tons, 20% more than the previous year. However, in September-November, Trans Oil Group companies massively purchased the products at a significantly low price – from 5.5 to 6 lei per kilogram, which created a serious financial imbalance for local farmers,” Slusari claimed.

Slusari denounced the abuses of the holding company, which allegedly took advantage of the huge debts of grain and oilseed producers. According to him, vegetable oil plants, also owned by Trans Oil, have not stocked up on cheap raw materials, which could have lowered the price of oil.

“Farmers do not want to sell below cost as Trans Oil proposes. Prices in the sunflower market are currently hovering around 9 lei. Farmers do not agree to sell raw material for 6.5 lei and demand a price not lower than 7.5 lei,” Slusari said.

FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS, FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!

Now, facing a shortage of raw materials, the holding is asking to open imports from Ukraine, ignoring the significant sunflower reserves existing in the country, Slusari added.

Tuesday brought news of the suspension of operations at one of Moldova’s leading vegetable oil producers, the Balti-based enterprise Floarea Soarelui.

Management at the enterprise cited insufficient raw material as the reason behind the halt in production. The plant, with a capacity designed to process over a thousand tons of sunflower seeds per day, faces challenges in sourcing an adequate supply. These difficulties stem from conflicts within the domestic market and the tightening of import regulations abroad, notably the imposition of licensing requirements for sunflower imports from Ukraine.