Compared to the volumes of March exports in previous years, this is a modest indicator, the minimum of the last 5 years. For example, in March 2021, Moldova exported almost 19 000 tonnes of apples, in March 2019 – more than 42 000 tonnes. However, given the blockage of land transport routes to the east due to the war in Ukraine, even this result does not look like a failure.

It is surprising that more than 6 000 tonnes of apples were sent to the russian market, and 1 300 tonnes to the belarusian market even through very long detours. What’s more interesting, about 1 800 tonnes of apples were exported to the Romanian market from Moldova in March, which is slightly less than the total volume exported in 2021. Given that, as EastFruit reported, the largest Moldovan apple producers are negotiating large-scale supplies of goods with Romanian supermarket chains, it can be assumed that the March volume of exports to the Romanian market will be exceeded in April.

Read also: Moldova: impact of the war on food security, macroeconomic stability and agribusiness

It is also notable that the average invoice price of Moldovan apples sent to Romania was about 6.2 MDL/kg ($0.35/kg). Whereas, according to growers, apples of “obsolete” varieties for export to Romania were purchased by traders at no more than 3 MDL/kg ($0.16/kg). This means that most of the exports to Romania were apple varieties more or less popular on the European market.

Сообщение Better than expected: in March 2022, Moldova exported more than 11 thousand tonnes of apples появились сначала на EastFruit.

Recently, 15 of the largest Moldovan apple producers, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Romania, held talks with a group of representatives of Romanian supermarket chains. The subject was large-scale deliveries of last year’s apples to Romanian retailers.

Horticultural enterprises of Moldova can offer tens of thousands of tonnes of high-quality apples of marketable varieties from modern fruit storages, in European type of containers. Many of the Moldovan horticultural traders who participated in the negotiations have GLOBALG.A.P. certificates.

Members of the Moldovan delegation claim that their main task during the dialogue was to find Romanian buyers who are interested in dealing with large volumes of high-quality apples and are ready to “pay more than the price for industrial apples in Moldova”. Meanwhile, Moldovan traders consider the current domestic market price for apples for export to Romania of 3 MDL/kg ($0.16/kg) to be only “minimal acceptable”.

According to the participants of the Moldovan fruit market, apples of popular varieties from the Republic of Moldova are now sold on the Romanian market $0.3-0.8/kg cheaper than apples from Poland. The only exceptions are apples of certain varieties (Idared, Jonagold), which Polish suppliers still send to Romania 0.1-0.2 EUR cheaper than potential Moldovan competitors.

Сообщение Moldovan exporters hope to supply tens of thousands of tonnes of 2021 harvest apples to Romania появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to EastFruit analysts, one of the surprises of the fresh plum season in 2021 is the record low price on the Ukrainian market. We recently covered the reasons in detail in our regional overview of the plum market in Eastern Europe.

However, another surprise was that Ukraine starts to put pressure on Moldova in foreign markets, despite the almost complete lack of experience in exporting plums. First of all, quality parameters and stable supplies of plums are important for fruit importers from the European Union, but in 2021 Ukraine is doing well with the quality of plums and even the volumes offered by growers are quite large.

Therefore, Ukrainian plums are actively exported to Poland, where prices are much higher. Also, Ukrainian plums are being supplied to the traditional Moldovan sales market – Romania. Another market where Ukrainian plums are much more competitive than Moldovan ones is Belarus. Transport costs for exporting plums to Belarus are much lower, because fruit exporters from Moldova have to supply products to Belarus through the territory of Ukraine.

The largest importer of plums in the region is, of course, Russia. In fact, it is the world’s main buyer of plums. However, plum prices there began to decline, and it is suggested this was due to the re-exports of Ukrainian plums through Belarus.

However, there is another unexpected factor that affects the Russian plum market – exports from Georgia. Prices for plums in Georgia are now even lower than in Ukraine. Georgia has not previously been a major supplier of plums to Russia, but it looks like it will become one in 2021.

Сообщение Plum: Ukraine unexpectedly becomes a competitor for Moldova появились сначала на EastFruit.

In the first decade of August, the increase in wholesale prices for plums outlined in the second half of July continued on the Moldovan market. At the same time, there is price polarization taking place: plums for the domestic market are still sold at no more than 10-11 MDL/kg ($ 0.56-0.61/kg) and plums for exports have risen to 14-15 MDL/kg ($ 0 ,78-0.84/kg).

Traders claim that this alignment is natural. Stagnation, and in some cases a decrease in wholesale prices for plums in the urban markets of the country is associated with a decreasing demand for relatively expensive fruit and vegetables during summer holidays (outflow of the population). In addition, the consequences of precipitation and hail at the turn of July and August have their impact. Partially, the quality of products on the domestic market has lowered.

Meanwhile, according to the operators of the Moldovan fruit and vegetable market, the export flow is gradually growing. In particular, exports of Moldovan plums of the Petestianka variety demanded on the Romanian market, have started to Romania. This year, the harvest of this variety is low both in Romania and Moldova, which explains the rise in their prices.

It should be noted that at the beginning of August 2021, wholesale prices for plums are one and a half to two times higher than in the same period last year.

Сообщение Prices for high-quality plums continue to rise in Moldova thanks to exports появились сначала на EastFruit.

Farmer Igor Popov from Ocnita region (Moldova) gives his onions for free – the farmer did this out of despair. He simply has no market for 15 tons of onions, and therefore he is ready to give out all his stock. The high quality of onions is proved by the fact that the farmer managed to sell part of them to Romania, in the EU market.

Read also: The surface cultivated with onion might be reduced in Ukraine

“There are no buyers in the local market, and there are no export buyers either. We supplied onions to Romania, but all the storages there are full, and there is nowhere else to sell. I hope this onion will be of use to those who take it for free” Igor Popov from the village of Dynzheny explained, quoted by blocknot-moldova.

Earlier EastFruit wrote that the onion market in the Russian Federation also disappoints local producers, who hoped for a rise in prices by mid-spring. Thus, the demand for onions from the main buyers has dropped significantly due to serious problems with their quality. Meanwhile, prices continue to decline, and the market is waiting for imports of onions from Central Asia, which starts in a week. The price decline in this segment began at the end of March, and the negative trend is now strengthening in all regions of the country.

Сообщение Free onions from a Moldovan producer – due to no demand появились сначала на EastFruit.

The experts of the Moldovan table grapes associations hope that weather in 2021 will be more favourable than in the previous two years. This will impact positively the quality of products, the volume and structure of their exports. There are reasons for optimism: the situation in the fields (moisture reserves in the soil, development of bushes, phytosanitary background) in winter and March of this year was much better than a year earlier. Nevertheless, agronomists of the best vineyards believe that this season it makes sense to work “not for quantity, but for quality of production – this is the key to success.”

EastFruit reported earlier that in 2020, more than 48 thousand tons of grapes were exported from Moldova to 22 countries of the world. In 2019, local producers exported about 63 thousand tons of grapes to 29 countries.

At first it might seem that the last season turned out for Moldovan table grapes growers better than it was expected. Due to the drought, the grapes harvest in the country (from 17 thousand hectares) amounted to only about 70 thousand tons – this is the lowest result in the last five years (according to statistics, in 2019 – almost 112 thousand tons, 2018 – 126 thousand tons, 2015 – slightly less than 85 thousand tons). At the same time, in the 2020-2021 season the production/exports ratio was better and prices were higher than in the 2019-2020 season.

Thus, the average price of grapes for the 2020 harvest was about 11 MDL/kg ($ 0.65/kg), and for 2019 – about 8 MDL/kg ($ 0.47/kg). As a result, last year the quantity of exported table grapes decreased significantly, but in financial terms it almost remained at the level of the previous year: in 2020 – almost $27 million, in 2019 – about $29 million.

However, regarding the structure of Moldovan grape exports, the situation looks more tense. The export geography has narrowed – from 29 to 22 countries. The volumes of supplies to practically all “secondary markets” have decreased. In particular, the greatest decrease was observed in supplies to Belarus (from 5.4 thousand tons to 1.79 thousand tons), Iraq (from 2.11 thousand tons to 286 tons), Romania (from 18.65 thousand tons to 10.72 thousand tons), Ukraine (from 7.9 thousand tons to 4.2 thousand tons).

The export volume of Moldovan grapes increased, among the EU countries, only to Poland – from 1.58 thousand tons to 1.7 thousand tons in 2020. However, this is far from the best result of the last five years – more than 4 thousand tons.

In the lean last year, supplies of grapes from Moldova to Russia also slightly increased – more than 26 thousand tons (2019 – about 25 thousand tons).

In 2020, compared to the previous year, the share of CIS countries in the total exported volume increased from 62% to 70%, mainly due to exports to the Russian market (the share of the Russian Federation in the structure of Moldovan grape exports has never been less than 45-50%).

But, as the specialists of the fruit producers’ associations noted, this does not mean at all that the positions of Moldovan table grapes grower have strengthened in the markets of the CIS countries and Russia in particular. Many exporting traders of grapes from Moldova noted increased competition in the Russian market due to the intensification of similar quality (or even higher) table grape exports from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Moreover, in the Russian market, as in the European one, consumer preferences are changing: buyers need a high-quality product, preferably seedless grape varieties. In Russia, the consumer still prefers red grapes and favors the well-known Moldova variety. However, some supermarket chains already require goods in modern consumer packaging – plastic bags.

Experts have been pointing out the need to reorient the table grape sector in Moldova to growing seedless grapes for several years, but in practice the process is slow and hard. Difficulties for local nurseries arose already at the stage of registration of well-known seedless varieties of grapes in the state register of varieties. Without an “official residence permit”, it is problematic to receive state subsidies and compensations for the establishment of new plantations. Apparently, the varietal modernization of the wine-growing sector in the country will extend over at least five years.

Apparently, in the short term, it makes sense for Moldovan table grapes producers to focus on “fine-tuning” the quality of the main exported table grapes variety “Moldova”, by improving the sorting and packaging. At the same time, they should ensure its presence in traditional markets – the Russian Federation, Romania, Ukraine, Poland during the period of optimal freshness from October to December.

Сообщение Will Moldova become less dependent on table grapes exports to Russia in the new season? появились сначала на EastFruit.

Representatives from the non-governmental organization Berries of Moldova assert that some large enterprises, which were previously considered net exporters are planning to sell their products on the domestic market this year with the emphasis on sales in small consumer packaging. The association is consulting with the Chisinau administration on organizing a series of spring-summer fairs and a “tent trade” network in the capital’s micro-districts.

Some large berry farms have already agreed with supermarket chains to supply products in closed plastic containers and flow packs. According to these enterprises, last year, they were surprised by the potential in the domestic market, which absorbed the entire volume of products not exported to Russia at a relatively high price. Meanwhile, according to their estimates, the export of berries from Moldova, depending on the berry type, decreased by 30-70%. According to the sellers, the internal market of Moldova was able to absorb a significant additional volume of production – more than a thousand tons of berries – due to the reduction of external smuggling supplies during the lockdown period.

Read also: Moldovan company RoDo launched production line of fruit snacks

Also, berry farms with post-harvest infrastructure hope to start exporting strawberries to Romania this year. To implement these plans, they will allot dozens of hectares for varieties of strawberries new to Moldova, particularly the Azalea variety.

Сообщение Moldovan strawberry growers hope for the domestic market and exports to Romania появились сначала на EastFruit.

At the end of February, potatoes fell in price by 0.2-0.5 lei/kg at the Moldovan wholesale fruit and vegetable market. According to EastFruit price monitoring data, the average price does not exceed 3 lei/kg and the maximum price is 3.5 lei/kg ($0.20/kg).

Traders believe currently there are no prerequisites for strengthening prices for potatoes in the domestic market. This is a shocking conclusion considering this time last year, wholesale prices for potatoes in Moldova were 30-40% higher. Moreover, throughout March 2020, their stable growth was noted by $0.01-0.03/kg per week.

Market operators consider the stable imports of potatoes from neighbouring Romania to be the main factor ensuring the constancy and even slight regression of prices in late winter – early spring 2021. In January-February, prices for Romanian potatoes of good quality were reliably kept in the range of 3.5-4.0 lei/kg ($0.20-0.22/kg). They remained at the level of prices for local potatoes of average and above-average quality. Yet, by the end of February, the stocks of such products at large Moldovan vegetable farms ran out. Taking this into account, one might assume that prices for high-quality imported potatoes would start to rise. However, the situation is different.

Read also: In Moldova, price for Moldova variety grapes rose due to demand in Romania

Traders agree that the low effective demand for supermarket quality potatoes dictates maximum prices in the range of 4.0-4.2 lei/kg ($0.22-0.24/kg). If they jump higher, demand may decrease even more.

Moreover, there is an alternative. The supply of low-quality locally produced potatoes in the northern regions of Moldova is still large. As a result, some wholesalers said they had to reduce prices for potatoes of mediocre quality to 2.7-2.8 lei/kg ($0.15-0.16/kg) in early March.

Сообщение Wholesale prices for potatoes decreased in Moldova появились сначала на EastFruit.

The wholesale price for the Moldova variety grapes increased by an average of 1 lei/kg up to 9-12 lei/kg ($0.51-0.68/kg) on the Moldovan market during the last week of February. The rise in price is noted for the first time since the end of January this year.

Experts from winegrower associations point out the only significant reason for the rise in prices for these products was an increase in demand for Moldovan grapes in Romania. This was an unexpected phenomenon for this time of the year. Traders suggest it may be an attempt by Romanian consumers to replenish their diet with fresh fruits at a time when new crops of fruit and berry products are still scarce and expensive. Also, it should be taken into account that the Romanian food market was in cost-saving mode last autumn so the demand for expensive fruits was not very high. Towards the end of winter though, fatigue from restrictions of all kinds had accumulated.

Read also: In 2021, winter exports for Moldovan apples to Russia lags behind last year

In addition, it is necessary to take into account that a new annual quota of 15,000 tons for duty-free exports of table grapes from Moldova to the European Union began to operate at the start of 2021. Experts from winegrower associations note that in the process of deliveries to the CIS markets, if traders-exporters tend to underestimate invoices, then this is not typical for deliveries to the European market.

At the end of February 2020, prices for Moldova variety grapes for exports were almost twice as high at 19-21 lei/kg ($1.08-1.20/kg). Market operators claim the main reason for the low prices for Moldovan grapes of the 2020 harvest this season is the relatively low quality due to drought. Currently, exporters consider berries not too small in size and more or less high turgor to be acceptable quality.

Сообщение In Moldova, price for Moldova variety grapes rose due to demand in Romania появились сначала на EastFruit.