Over 13,000 tons of Moldovan apples from the 2021 harvest were exported to markets other than the Russian Federation, such as the European Union, Central Asia, the Persian Gulf and North Africa. Over 2,000 tons have already been exported over long distances in sea containers. For the first time, apples produced in Moldova were exported to Germany, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Kyrgyzstan.
The need to diversify the apple market has been on the agenda of Moldovan horticulturists for more than a decade, but it became an acute problem when the war in Ukraine began. Testing of new options for marketing fresh apples was initiated in 2017 by the Moldova Fruit Association, with the USAID High Value Agriculture Activity (HVAA) support. Thus, if the Moldovan apples from 2020 were exported to 9 countries, the apples harvested in 2021 have already been exported to 25 countries.
Efforts to diversify export markets have included the organization of multiple trade missions of foreign importers to Moldova, as well as of Moldovan producers to the Middle East, and the participation of fruit producers in international exhibitions and B2B events. These activities have enabled Moldovan farmers to understand the requirements of the EU and Middle East apple consumers and to adjust their production process to meet those requirements.
According to the Moldova Fruit Association, for Moldovan fruits to reach new markets such as those in the EU or Middle East, Moldovan producers should renew their spectrum of the produced apple varieties in accordance with the market demand. In this regard, it is important that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) and the relevant authorities facilitate the testing and registration of new varieties in the Catalog of Plant Varieties. Producers must also implement international standards that confirm the application of good agricultural practices and product safety, such as GLOBALG.A.P., GRASP, SMETA, etc. Finally, it is imminent to manage the level of fruit residues to meet the requirements of international markets, which often have stricter requirements than those in the Russian Federation.
Ion Tulei, a fruit producer from Stefan Voda, has already delivered several containers of apples to the UAE. “We delivered 6 containers of apples to the biggest trading company that works with a wide range of fruit distribution channels in the United Arab Emirates and neighboring countries. The UAE consumer prefers red apples, but especially the Gala Royal variety. We delivered all the quantity we had of this variety at a good price. The apples arrived at their destination in sea refrigerators successfully, importer was satisfied with the outstanding quality. At the moment we want to extend the number of apple varieties to be exported to Gulf region from Moldova,” mentions Ion Tulei.
Note: According to official data, the Republic of Moldova exports 64% of the volume of agricultural products to the EU market, but in the case of apples there is a major dependence on the market of the Russian Federation: 97% of total apples exports of 240 thousand tons. In the current marketing season of the 2021 harvest (August 2021 – March 2022), the share of the Russian Federation has decreased to 90% and will continue decreasing due to the war in Ukraine and international sanctions applied to the Russian Federation. Currently, it is estimated that about 100 thousand tons of apples are in storage in Moldova.
For more information:
Octavian Olaru
Moldova Fruct
Tel/WhatsApp: +373 68 997-709
Email: olaru@moldovafruct.md
www.moldovafruct.md