On 12 October, the Government announced a sharp reduction in the import duty of soft wheat and its derivatives. The tax will be cut from 135 percent to 30 percent starting 1 December 2017. Import duties are periodically revised depending on the supply-demand situation in the country. They were increased in May to protect local producers following expectations of a strong rebound in production and low prices in the international market (FPMA Food Policies). The 2017 wheat crop, harvested in July, reached some 7.1 million tonnes, an increase of about 163 percent compared to the previous year’s weather-affected crop and 33 percent above the five-year average. Despite the 2017 good crop, however, the country continues to heavily rely on wheat imports to cover its consumption needs and the reduced duty aims to ensure adequate supplies of good quality wheat from the international market and protect the local purchasing power. The European Union and the Black Sea region supply most of the common soft wheat.