This year, sunflowers bloomed two weeks ahead of time, the drought having affected important lands. Farmers claims that in this period, the plants didn't develop well and are now very vulnerable to illness and pests. Under such conditions, farmers need to perform additional work, which will influence the price for sunflower seeds.

Alexandru Gordilă has a household in Corlăteni village, Râșcani. From the over 230 owned hectares with sunflowers, over 60 were affected by the drought from this sprig. The plants sprung out early and didn't develop well. 

"Part of the seeds were planted in dry earth and the plants grew uneven. We have plants that have already bloomed, those that have only just begun and some that recently bloomed. This will cause some problems when it will be time to harvest them" farmer Alexandru Gordilă said.

Experts claim that the high temperatures from this spring have caused the plants to grow faster. This will influence the harvest period and the quality of the seeds.

"The plant bloomed by 10-12 days ahead of time. If the temperatures will be favorable, the harvest will take place in the middle of August, by two weeks earlier. According to meteorologists, the weather will be unstable and showers are forecast in July and August. This might generate multiple disease" expert Mihail Vronschih said.

Each year in the Republic of Moldova are cultivated around 300 000 hectares of sunflowers.  Data shows that a quarter of the export is that of sunflower seeds and sunflower oil.