Support the Moldavian fruit trade

Last spring, Moldova and Ukraine applied for membership of the European Union. As a result, Russia has completely blocked fruit imports from Moldova, due to so-called phytosanitary measures. 95% of the apples and grapes were destined for Russia.

Moldova has become a candidate member of the EU with a small majority of the population supporting it. However, a large group is still focused on Russia and supports it even now during the war.

It is important that the EU supports the Moldovan people. 25% of Moldova's GDP comes from the agricultural sector and because of this many are dependent on it. That is why it is also important that our European fruit traders support the Moldovan sector. Chances are, if we ignore them, they will eventually turn to Russia again.

Bicolour apples

The sector is currently investing in new varieties such as Fuji, Braeburn, Gala and Crimson Crisp. But there are still apple varieties that are not suitable for the European market, such as Idared, and there are probably only a few outlets for the delicious Moldovan grapes with pits. On the other hand, Stanley plums are now widely exported to Germany and other German-speaking areas.

Stanley plums for the German market

I, Pieter Boekhout of Freshplaza, visited ten fruit packing stations with two Dutch fruit experts. We thought we were seeing neglected old orchards, but saw the opposite; modern orchards equipped with drip irrigation, hail nets and plastic pergolas for grapes. The fruit is really fantastic. The soil is very airy and fertile. And the apples are uniform and of great quality. So many hours of sunshine gives the fruit a unique taste. There is almost no dropout. I understand that we also have to support our growers, but they supply other varieties. I hope we can make a difference for them.

After the European Union adopted, in July, a regulation temporarily liberalizing trade in the seven Moldovan horticultural products that had not yet been fully liberalised, namely tomatoes, garlic, grapes, apples, cherries, plums and grape juice, we consider it is time to visit the country and take a closer look at 14 Moldovan fruit and vegetable companies.

Platform to pick the highest fruit

This is the first article in an 18-part series in which we give the floor to the companies and also Piet Schotel from the Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) and Cees van Doorn from VDU Uitzendbureau, who accompanied me on the journey to the Moldovan fruit and vegetable sector, giving their views on the new export opportunities for horticulture in this Eastern European country and the opportunities for Moldovan labor migrants in Gelderland and beyond.

But first we'll give the background to this project briefly and we will give some general information about the country of Moldova as a bonus. Because honestly, in the geography and history lessons we've all had at some point, this small country has barely been covered. Nevertheless, it is always very useful to be able to frame concrete stories within a larger whole.

54 hectares of orchard laid out 3 years ago

“We cannot overlook the impact of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on Moldova,” said Jozef Síkela, the Czech Minister of Industry and Trade, following the decision of the European Council to lift import duties on the remaining horticultural products had not been fully liberalized. “Now Moldova can export at least twice as many of these products to the EU without import duties. With these exceptional measures, the EU is deepening its trade relations with Moldova and showing its support for the stabilization of the Moldovan economy."

Exporter Valeria Caduc of Smarta SA

The war has had a devastating impact on Ukraine, but the Republic of Moldova was also indirectly hit hard. The country's ability to trade with the rest of the world is taking a hit as its exports rely heavily on Ukrainian infrastructure and Moldova has largely lost access to its markets in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

“We used to export about 95% of our apples to the Russian market, but in the first half of 2022, for obvious reasons, this figure has dropped to 70%, which is still a very high percentage,” said Vladimir Bolea, Minister of Agriculture. At the beginning of August this year, Moldovan apple growers and exporters entered the Saudi Arabian market and are also negotiating with the Egyptian government on preferential exports of apples, by far the largest fruit and vegetable export product for Moldova. But it is clear that the opening offered by the EU is more than welcome.

Modern Western European storage cells

And even indispensable, we can say, since Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, on August 15, blocked fruit imports from Moldova, with the exception of Transnistria (about which more later) on the grounds that they are infected with pests and plant diseases. A sordid decision, Moldova's President Maia Sandu claimed, as she does not understand why Russia is imposing a new embargo on Moldovan fruits in mid-August when the products meet EU quality standards that are higher than Russian standards.

High fruit wall, prepared for picking robots

Isn't it rather a sanction against Moldova – just like neighboring Ukraine, which is not a NATO or EU member – that, for example, at the beginning of May, through Charles Michel, President of the European Council, the country was promised the supply of military equipment from the European Union with with the aim of increasing the country's stability and security and preserving territorial integrity, and that at the end of June EU leaders even granted candidate country status, like Ukraine?

Grapes (left) protected from rain

The Republic of Moldova is largely located between the Prut and Dniester rivers. This small country – just a little bigger than Belgium - borders Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south. The capital Chisinau is located in the center of the country. Moldova has just over 3.3 million inhabitants. of which just under a million live abroad, and they have the lowest per capita income in all of Europe.

Until 1991, the country belonged to the Soviet Union. Transnistria, a thin strip of land east of the Dniester River and squeezed between the rest of Moldova and Ukraine, belonged to the Soviet Republic of Moldova, but declared its independent unilaterally after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and is still supported by Russia. The region is mainly inhabited by Russians (and Ukrainians). However, the de facto independent country is not recognized by any state. The capital of this separatist region is Tiraspol. For the football fans among us: in September last year the team of this city, better known as Sherrif Tiraspol, qualified for the Champions League to visit the ultimate winners of the competition, Real Madrid.

Wind and solar energy on a plantation

Moldova is just short of access to the Black Sea. The north is hilly and the country has a moderate continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. The language of the majority of the Moldovan population is Romanian which, just like Italian, Spanish or French is a Romance language. A minority speak Ukrainian, Russian or Bulgarian. Those are Slavic languages.

In the coming weeks, a daily article about the Moldovan fruit export will be published. If you have any questions, please contact Moldavafruct, the association of Moldovan fruit exporters.

For more information:
Moldova Fruct
Fruit Producers and Exporters Association
Iurie Fala, CEO
Tel.: +37322223005 | Mob.: +37369366424
Ifala@moldovafruct.md
www.moldovafruct.md