Similar to many other fruit crops, this year's prune harvest in Germany was record-breaking. "The weather cooperated accordingly, enabling us to offer high-quality prunes to the markets until week 41," said Kurt Halder, buyer and seller at OGA-OGV in Bruchsal. Accordingly, demand for imported goods from Moldova was relatively low in the first weeks of sales. "Nevertheless, the first deliveries of the Stanley variety arrived as early as week 38/39. In this respect, there was a seamless transition between seasons."
Umut Tekbas and Kurt Halder at the OGA-OGV stand at last year's expoSE in Karlsruhe
Nevertheless, Halder describes the start of the Moldovan season as difficult. "The problem was not so much the product quality, which was consistently good, but rather the uncertainty surrounding customs clearance. Right at the start of the season, we had to pay a customs duty of 12.5 percent, which we hadn't anticipated at all. To make matters worse, the import quota was exhausted very quickly. The customs duty was then halved and completely abolished at the beginning of October. This uncertainty makes planning difficult and is generally a hindering factor in Moldovan imports."
© OGA-OGVMoldovan plums of the Stanley variety
Over the past five years, OGA-OGV has developed into a specialist supplier of Moldovan prunes. Halder confirms that the company primarily supplies wholesale markets throughout Germany. "The price structure has been quite good so far and remains slightly above last year's level. We are being offered a lot of small fruit in the 28+ size, which is too small for the wholesale market and for the destoners. Nevertheless, the quantities offered so far are sufficient to meet the demand for larger fruit (caliber 30+/32+)." Moldovan prunes are expected to be available until early/mid-November.
© OGA-OGV
On the German market, Moldovan produce primarily competes with prunes of Polish origin. Halder: "Poland has a particularly strong presence this year and, compared to Moldova, naturally has the advantage of free border crossing within the EU and the shorter distance to the German sales market. Land transport from Moldova to Germany takes 4-5 days, while from Poland it takes a maximum of three days. On the other hand, Moldova has the advantage of a wider variety of varieties: the Stanley variety is suitable for both the fresh market and for destoning, while the President variety, which continues to dominate Polish cultivation, is usually too thick for destoning." Other well-known growing countries, such as Serbia, focus primarily on early exports.
Moldovan grapes as a successful market niche
Parallel to the plum season, the marketing of Moldovan table grapes is now gradually picking up speed. The first loads of dark, seeded grapes of the Moldova variety arrived in Bruchsal in week 41. Italian grapes still dominate the German wholesale markets, but the OGA-OGV sales department expects demand to increase from the beginning of November. "We marketed a total of around 100 tons last year and expect a similar sales volume this year." Although the product is primarily sold through wholesalers, a food retailer has now also listed the item.
Moldovan table grapes of the Moldova variety
The marketing window for grapes is mainly concentrated in November and December, although CA produce can sometimes be found on local markets until February/March. "The majority of grapes are still delivered to neighboring Romania," says Halder, who also points to the professionalization of the Moldovan fruit sector. "I went on my first business trip to the Republic of Moldova in 2019, and it is impressive to see how fruit cultivation has developed since then. Although the US-AID programs have now been discontinued by Trump, fortunately, generous investments have already been made in irrigation and roofing, among other things, in recent years, providing a healthy foundation for further growth. Cultivation trials with seedless grapes are also already underway, and it is only a matter of time before these varieties can also be commercially marketed and exported," he concludes.
Visit the company at expoSE in Karlsruhe: Hall 1 / B07
For more information:
Kurt Halder
OGA-OGV
Industriestr. 1-3
D-76646 Bruchsal
Tel: +49 7251 8002-0
Fax: +49 7251 8002-99
[email protected]
www.oga-bruchsal.de
