Moldova's Economic Shift: Agro-Food Revenues from East to West

This study examines the agri-food industry in Moldova and stresses the key determinants which have affected its transformation. Moldova has an extensive experience in agri-food-related activities spanning several centuries. Such circumstances came in the 1990s when the country started developing an environment characterized with competition as new businesses came into the scene providing customers with options which had not been available before. However, in the early stages of this period, the market was still concentrated in some sectors or dominated by few players which limited the scope for effective competition. Competition is especially significant in the long-run as concerns economic development and growth as it includes the number of market participants, the range of goods and services available for consumers, the diversity of products, regulators’ interventions, and control exercised by consumers and suppliers’ interrelationships. As of 2023, the overall figure of the trade entities has reached 63,778. Following the outbreak of armed conflict near Moldova’s borders (Ukraine) in 2022, some economic operators leveraged existing stockpiles to achieve revenues of up to $5,488.28 million, amidst market uncertainty and an absence of regulatory policies for such scenarios. When analyzing revenue trends over time for exports and imports, the European Union consistently holds a leading position compared to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The study utilized data from national statistics, scientific articles, and specialized press reports.