The farmers’ protest against the rise in agricultural VAT — from 8% to 20% — reached the border of Ungheni district on 25 June. Farm machinery blocked access to the Sculeni border crossing, one of the main customs points between the Republic of Moldova and Romania.
Sculeni was not alone. According to the General Police Inspectorate, the same day traffic was blocked simultaneously at several points in the country: at Rezina (the R20 route), at Hîncești (on the M1, toward the Leușeni–Albița customs), at Criuleni (M1) and at Ștefan Vodă (R30, toward Tudora–Palanca). On Ungheni, the police noted drily: “in the area of the Sculeni crossing traffic is blocked; officers are talking with the organisers to reopen the route.”
How long it lasted
The blockade held for much of the day. The Border Police recommended alternative routes — the L516, L530 and R-31 roads — and reported, step by step, the return to normal: around 17.33 the Leușeni, Palanca and Tudora customs points were reopened, and the Sculeni crossing was reopened around 6 p.m., when vehicle traffic resumed. By evening, the district’s border was working again.
Why the farmers take to the streets
The mobilisation, held under the “Forța Fermierilor” (Farmers’ Force) banner, continues a series of protests that we have reported on since they were announced. The central demand is keeping agricultural VAT at 8%, instead of the rise to 20%. To it are added direct per-hectare payments from 2027, the full refund of the diesel excise for 2026, and recognition of the country’s south as a drought-disadvantaged zone.
Nationally, the day was also marked by a tense incident — in Ștefan Vodă district, not in Ungheni — in which a member of parliament allegedly blocked a road intentionally with a tractor and struck a police officer; the case is being investigated by the police. At Sculeni, the reopening came, according to the authorities, after talks with the organisers, with no such incidents reported.
Beyond the road episode, which ended the same evening, the underlying stake remains open: the fate of the VAT rate for agriculture and of the other demands is being decided in negotiations between the farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance.
The location and nature of the blockades, including at the Sculeni crossing, come from the statements of the General Police Inspectorate; the timeline of the reopening (17.33 and, for Sculeni, around 6 p.m.) — from the statements of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police. The protest’s demands come from earlier reporting on the “Forța Fermierilor” mobilisation. The incident with the member of parliament took place in Ștefan Vodă district, not in Ungheni, and is presented by the police as under investigation.