Falesti District
Südzucker Moldova's processing hub since 1998; 500,000+ tons beet processed annually, 7,388ha 2025 campaign—German vertical integration in Moldovan agriculture.
When German sugar conglomerate Südzucker acquired Moldovan processing facilities in 1998, Fălești became a node in a transnational supply chain. The factory at Str. Iași 1 is one of two remaining Südzucker Moldova production facilities—the third, at Alexandreni, now handles only logistics and packaging. Together with the Drochia plant, Fălești's facility processes over 500,000 tons of sugar beet annually, producing more than 70,000 tons of sugar.
The 2025 campaign launched across 7,388 hectares spanning nine northern districts, with Fălești at the center of Südzucker's Moldovan operations. The company's agricultural subsidiary, Agro-SZM, manages over 13,000 hectares including 3,200 hectares of sugar beet—a vertical integration that guarantees raw material supply. Since 1998, Südzucker Moldova has invested over 700 million lei in the cultivation sector, implementing precision agriculture technologies that Moldova's smallholder farms cannot match independently.
By 2026, the district's sugar economy faces a reckoning. Moldova's EU accession negotiations will bring European sugar quotas, quality standards, and competition from established EU producers. Whether German-owned processing capacity in a small post-Soviet country represents a market access advantage or a stranded asset depends on how Brussels writes the agricultural chapter of Moldova's accession treaty.