More than 570 hectares of vineyards were planned in Moldova last year. Table grape sorts were planted on 55% of this area. Director of the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture Nicolae Ciubuc told a news conference that the agricultural producers focused mainly on native sorts, IPN reports.

The sort “Moldova” is a leader and accounts for 70% of the new table grape plantations. As regards the technical sorts of grape, there were primarily planted such sorts as “Feteasca” and “Rare Black”. Over 10 million lei was allocated from the subsidization fund for new vineyards.

Nicolae Ciubuc said about 3,200 orchards were set up last year. The farmers planted mostly seed fruits. The areas of apple trees decreased owing to Russia’s ban on the import of Moldovan apples and to the vulnerability of apples to frost.

An increasing number of producers invest in strawberry, black current and blackberry plantations. The subsidies requested last year for such plantations exceeded 4 million lei, the areas amounting to about 100 hectares.

As regards the clearing of old plantations, Nicolae Ciubuc said there are positive results owing to the mechanism for subsidizing farmers who remove old plantations that was instituted in 2015. Initially, the provided sum was of 5,000 lei per hectare, while last year this rose to 10,000 lei per hectare. Owing to this support, the area of cleared planations rose three times.