Moldova withdrew from the International Sugar Agreement, which concluded in Geneva in March 1992. At the same time, Moldova’s membership in the International Sugar Organization (ISO) will end. The parliament has adopted a draft law containing these provisions in the second reading.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry notes that the decision to withdraw from the Agreement is based on an analysis of the trends in the development of the sugar industry and existing sugar reserves. Also, the ministry took into account the opinion of the business environment.
Among the reasons that led to the withdrawal from the International Sugar Agreement, one can name the decrease in recent years in the area of ​​land sown with sugar beets, as well as the volume of processed sugar in Moldova, inability to participate in plenary meetings of the Council of the Agreement, the obligation to prepare and periodically submit extensive statistical reports on the production and processing of sugar beet, which entails administrative and personnel costs.
The Republic of Moldova has repeatedly asked to reduce the amount of the annual fee that the country has to pay. This request was not accepted by the International Sugar Council. This year the contribution is about 140 thousand lei (7 thousand euros).
According to the relevant ministry, Moldova’s withdrawal from the nominated Agreement will not have internal, bilateral, regional, or multilateral consequences. It will not create obstacles to the conclusion of other agreements.