For the 2022/2025 season, the area planted with winter and spring barley is 64.2 thousand hectares, an increase of 6.5% compared to the previous season. However, the average yield is estimated at 3.35 tons per hectare, a decrease of 16.25% from the 2023/2024 season when the yield was 4 tons per hectare. Iurie Rija, executive director of the Association of Exporters and Importers of Agricultural and Cereal Products “Agrocereale,” estimates the total barley harvest for this year to be between 210 and 220 thousand tons.
In 2023, the Republic of Moldova exported 149,745 tons of barley, which is 4.2 times more than the 35,637 tons it exported in 2022. However, this amount is 18.1% lower compared to the 182,863 tons it exported in 2021. The average export price of barley in 2023 dropped to 3.25 lei/kg, the lowest level in the past three years. In the first half of 2024, the average price remained almost the same at 3.24 lei/kg. During this period, Moldova exported 33,925 tons, twice as much as the amount exported in the same period the previous year.
“Looking at the individual season, from July 2023 to June 2024, Moldova exported 167,206 tons of barley. Considering the total harvest of 243,000 tons (adjusted after the final season results) and domestic consumption, about 50,000 tons of barley from the previous season remain in the country’s stock,” says Rija.
For June 2024, the average monthly export price of barley fell to 2.84 lei/kg. It marks a significant decrease compared to previous months, with the price at 3.06 lei/kg in May 2024 and 3.78 lei/kg in April 2024. Domestically, the selling price of barley currently varies between 2.40-2.70 lei/kg depending on the region.
Out of the 149,700 tons of barley exported in 2023, 97% came from the top 20 leading companies. Agrofloris-Nord SRL, owned by cereal magnate Vaja Jhashi, ranked first with a 15% share and exported 22,698 tons. Two companies hold equal shares of 14%: Demir-Agro SRL, controlled by Irina Vlah’s brother, exported 21,357 tons, and Orom-Imexpo SRL exported 21,218 tons. In 2024, Orom-Imexpo SRL leads the barley exports with 9,075 tons, followed by Demir-Agro SRL with 6,614 tons.
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In 2023, about 64% of the total barley exported by the Republic of Moldova went to Romania (95,000 tons), followed by Cyprus (24,000 tons), Spain (18,700 tons), and Singapore (8,400 tons). In the first half of 2024, Cyprus is the top destination with 14,460 tons, followed by Romania with 8,033 tons.