Through Moldova’s Danube Port: not wheat, but military cargo

In July–August 2025, Moldova’s wheat exports via the Giurgiulești port on the Danube dropped by nearly 60% – from 169.5 thousand tons last season to only 71.5 thousand tons. The country fell from second to fourth place among wheat suppliers to the EU.

The reasons are evident: a rich harvest in EU states, which reduced import needs by 34%, and critically low water levels on the Danube (below 4 meters), preventing large vessels from docking.

By contrast, Moldova has strengthened its position on the oilseed market. For the second season in a row, it remains the EU’s absolute leader in sunflower exports, holding a 68.2% market share.

Giurgiulești port, which previously thrived on Ukrainian grain transit to Constanța, has now become the focus of geopolitical disputes. Although the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development organized a tender in which a Turkish company offered a higher price, the Moldovan government favored Romania’s “Constanța Maritime Ports Administration.”

Chisinau media emphasize that this deal is not only about business, but also about geopolitics: if Giurgiulești comes under Romanian control, its infrastructure could be legitimately used for NATO military logistics.