OREANDA-NEWS. July 15, 2009. Exports of Moldovan farming and agro-food goods increased by 14 per cent in the first five months of 2009 against the same period last year. In January-May, agricultural products worth 231.2 million dollars were marketed abroad, according to statistics by the Agriculture and Food Ministry.

The data show that the share of agricultural and agro-industrial goods rose both in the total amount of the foreign trade and goods export. Thus, in the first five months of 2009, the share of farming and agro-industrial products went up by about 15 per cent in the overall exports against the same period of 2008.

Agriculture and Food Minister Anatolie Gorodenco has said that these indexes are due, to a great extent, to the turning to account of the quotas given by the EU within the Autonomous Trade Preferences.

In the first half of 2009, these quotas turned to account at 70-100 per cent, excepting the one for barley. The export of agro-food goods would have been larger, if the world economic crisis did not affect the prices for these goods, the minister said.

The same data presented by the competent ministry show that the balance of trade with farming and agro-food goods was positive in the first five months of 2009, standing at 45,300 dollars.