The year 2024 presented significant challenges for the fruit sector in Moldova. Adverse weather conditions, including spring frosts, extreme summer drought, and heavy rains during the harvest season for cherries, grapes, and ripening apples, created difficulties for producers. Nonetheless, Moldovan fruits maintained their position in export markets, thanks to substantial investments by producers and exporters in pre-cooling, sorting, and packaging equipment. These issues were discussed at the “Fruit Business in Moldova” Conference, IPN reports.
Despite a smaller harvest in 2024 due to unfavorable weather, Moldovan plums strengthened their position in the EU market, with 79.2% of exports directed there compared to 76% in 2023. It was also a record-breaking year for apricots, with exports reaching 13.2 thousand tons - a historic high for Moldova. The EU was the primary destination for 56% of these exports.
According to Vitalie Gorincioi, president of the Moldova Fruct Association, the profitability of fruit businesses requires horticulturists to adapt to challenges posed by geopolitical factors and climate extremes. Limited water access, labor shortages, and financial constraints remain major issues. Gorincioi emphasized the importance of collaboration to strengthen positions in new markets and find practical solutions to these challenges.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ludmila Catlabug stated that for the 2021 - 2025 period, the ministry aims to expand perennial crop areas, increase overall fruit production, develop post-harvest and processing infrastructure, enhance cold storage capacity, and establish new packing houses. The ministry is also working on a program promoting the consumption of fresh fruits in schools and kindergartens.
Ion Ionas, manager at Ionex Trans, expressed pride in this year’s plum harvest. "Thanks to their quality, we succeeded in exporting fruits to the largest supermarket network in Europe", he said.
Apple exports in 2024 rose by approximately 10% compared to the previous year. Over the first 11 months, exports to the EU reached 23,000 tons, compared to 11,800 tons in the same period of 2023. Moldovan apples are solidifying their presence in the UK and the Netherlands, while Saudi Arabia ranked fourth among export destinations with 3,800 tons exported in 2024.
Valeria Caduc, manager at Smarta-AS, noted that apple prices tripled this year compared to 2023. "Despite adverse temperatures, we maintained last year’s production levels thanks to irrigation. We plan to ramp up exports in the second half of January, targeting destinations like the UK, Romania, Sweden, Lithuania, and Saudi Arabia", Caduc announced.
Grapes also saw positive export dynamics to the EU. In the first 11 months of 2024, 31.2 thousand tons (58.7% of all exported Moldovan grapes) were sent to the EU, compared to 26.4 thousand tons (3.4%) during the same period last year.
Moldovan plums, apricots, and grapes were sold this year in major EU supermarket chains, adhering to strict quality and packaging standards.
