Russia has banned the import of seeds from Moldova
As of September 14, Russia has suspended imports of seeds and planting material from Moldova. Officials in Chisinau stated that Moscow had created an artificial barrier to exports, since the Moldovan side had previously offered to conduct the necessary laboratory audit but received no response.
Russia has temporarily banned the import of seeds and planting material from Moldova. The decision took effect on September 14. Along with Moldovan products, seeds and planting material from Mexico and the Czech Republic were also subject to the restrictions. The ministry explained the decision by citing the expiration of the three-year accreditation period for phytosanitary laboratories in those countries.
This specifically concerns Moldova’s Central Phytosanitary Laboratory. It is this laboratory that conducts tests on agricultural crop seeds and issues the documents required for export. According to the Russian side, a new audit of the laboratory was required following the expiration of the three-year term. However, according to Rosselkhoznadzor, no such request was received from the Moldovan side. As a result, the laboratory’s documents are no longer being accepted, and the import of seeds into Russia has become impossible.
Moldova Denies Russia’s Claims
The National Agency for Food Safety of Moldova (ANSA) stated that the Russian version does not correspond to reality. ANSA spokesperson Mariana Grati reported that Chisinau had contacted the Russian side in advance. In a letter, the Moldovan agency provided information on the status of the Central Phytosanitary Laboratory and proposed conducting a new audit.
According to Grati, the Moldovan laboratory holds not only national but also international ISTA accreditation, which pertains to seed analysis and certification. At the same time, ANSA was prepared to undergo a separate inspection by Russian experts. The Moldovan side even proposed conducting the audit remotely. August 2026 was cited as the tentative date, but ANSA emphasized that it was prepared to agree to another time convenient for the Russian side.
“ANSA has not yet received a response from the Russian side,” stated Mariana Grati. In other words, Chisinau maintains that it did not refuse the necessary inspection and actually proposed conducting it itself. That is why ANSA believes that Moscow’s decision creates an artificial obstacle to Moldovan exports.
What the Russian side says
Rosselkhoznadzor, for its part, insists on a different version of events. The Russian agency stated that, three years after the previous audit, a new inspection was not conducted due to the lack of corresponding requests from laboratories. Russia also stated that seeds from Moldova, Mexico, and the Czech Republic can still enter its market under one condition: the products must be accompanied by documentation from laboratories in other countries that have passed a Russian audit.
Thus, the current dispute does not concern the quality of the seeds themselves, but rather the documentation and the procedure for confirming the laboratories’ competence. Moldova, meanwhile, insists that it was ready to carry out the necessary procedure and offered to have Russia conduct the audit. According to ANSA, Chisinau has not received a response to this proposal.
Why This Is Important for Moldova
Seeds and planting material are a vital part of the agricultural sector. Restrictions on their export mean that Moldovan companies doing business with the Russian market can no longer use documents from the Central Phytosanitary Laboratory for such shipments. For now, the Russian ban is described as temporary. Its lifting depends on the completion of a new audit and the Russian side’s recognition of the relevant documents.
At the same time, there remains a disagreement between Chisinau and Moscow regarding why this audit did not take place. Russia claims it did not receive the necessary request. Moldova, however, states that such a request was sent and that a specific format and time for the inspection were proposed to the Russian side. ANSA cites this very disagreement as the reason it considers the new restriction an artificial barrier to exports. So far, only the positions of both sides are publicly known, and there is no final agreement on a new audit, according to NewsMaker.
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