The unacceptable quality of the Moldova table grape variety in stores is one of the most unfortunate conclusions of the March audit of the produce departments of Chisinau supermarket chains. The objectivity of the assessment is undoubtable, as along with the project staff, many Moldovan consumers who tried to find table grapes “Moldova” of acceptable quality in the capital’s retail were convinced of this.
However, experts from the growers organizations believe that although problems with the quality of “Moldova” sometimes arise at the beginning and at the very end of the marketing season, in the last few years they have been random, not systemic.
According to Gheorghe Gaber, chairman of the Association of Table Grape Producers and Exporters of the Republic of Moldova, 2021 was marked by rather unusual weather conditions, or even anomalous events compared to previous years.
Berries of the Moldova grapes slowly gained sugar content. Protective measures and harvesting were carried out in bad conditions in some areas. A large part of the “Moldova” harvest was not suitable for long-term storage. By the way, in accordance with the recommendations of experts, it was sold shortly after harvesting. At the same time, some specialized vineyards, especially in the southern region of the country and those growing grapes on plantations such as Pergola, harvested and stored “Moldovas” of very good quality. Even in spring, these grapes in refrigerators looked no worse than last fall.
Source: east-fruit.com