At the 11th Fruit Business Conference in Chișinău, Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu stated that the quality of Moldovan fruits supports their place in European and global supply chains and that growers should be competitive producers. More than 300 growers, exporters, and sector specialists attended the event, where speakers outlined structural constraints affecting production capacity, including deforestation, falling yields, climate variability, and complex access to financing. Participants noted that modernization is needed to maintain access to European markets.
Grower Vera Ciobanu from Corjova village in the Criuleni district manages a 14-hectare cherry orchard with her family, with six hectares currently in production and the rest newly planted. She has invested in irrigation, anti-hail nets, and bird-scaring cannons. She reported a harvest of 70 tons of cherries this year. "Not all fruit growers, however, enjoyed such a bountiful harvest in this difficult agricultural year."
Frost-related crop losses were detailed by Vitalie Gorincioi, President of the Moldfruct Association. "Stone fruit was the most compromised: cherries, plums, apricots, and peaches. They were compromised because they survived the first frost wave in early April, but a portion suffered from the second frost. Apples also suffered, and plums, and cherries, very heavily, and apricots very heavily. We practically exported nothing from the apricot harvest."
Growers at the conference said that establishing 23,000 hectares of new orchards over the next five years could support export growth and strengthen rural economies. They called for predictable policies aligned with EU frameworks, access to phytosanitary products, and support for irrigation and post-harvest systems.
According to Ina Butucel, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Moldovan fruits have acted as an export representative for the country. "To enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the horticultural sector, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry continues to make consistent efforts to support the sustainable development of agriculture through coherent policies and programs aimed at development, modernization, and economic growth. This is especially crucial now, as the sector continues to face constraints caused by climate change, as well as other challenges that impede production and the export of Moldovan fruits."
Prime Minister Munteanu noted that Moldova has positioned itself among the top 20 global exporters of plums, walnuts, cherries, apricots, rapeseed, apples, and grapes. He attributed this to investments in orchards, technology, and post-harvest systems, as well as market openings in Europe.
EU Ambassador Iwona Piórko said the EU will continue to support Moldovan producers through programs targeting competitiveness and sustainability. Export values rose despite lower volumes, with apricots up 1.8 times and cherries doubling. Apple exports in the first ten months were 25,800 tons lower than last year, reducing revenue by US$4.6 million.
Source: Radio Moldova
