This year’s apple output is estimated at 485,000 tons. Due to this summer’s drought, the yield will be 180,000 tons lower than last year, Vocea Basarabiei quoted Iurie Fală, executive director of the Moldova Fruct Association, as saying.

During the Prognosfruit conference, organized annually by the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA), Fală said that, while this year’s apple yield will be smaller, Moldova Fruct estimates it will still be larger than the past decade’s average.

But growers are concerned not so much about the lower expected output as about the ability to find markets for their apples, kin light of the recent ban imposed by Russia on Moldovan agricultural exports.

Moldova Fruct recently submitted a petition asking the Moldovan authorities to seek the unblocking of exports. One such measure would be intensified phytosanitary inspections to make sure the exported fruits are not contaminated with pests or substances banned under Russian food safety rules.

In Moldova, the most popular cultivars among growers are Idared, Golden Delicious, Gala and Florina.