The first tomatoes produced in Moldova will be available at the markets of Chisinau in the middle of June. The producers say the delay is due to the unfavorable weather conditions.

Contacted by IPN, vegetable grower Iurie Bivol said that this year he planted tomatoes in hothouses on an area of 2.5 hectares and projects to harvest 350 tonnes of tomatoes. The Moldovan tomatoes will go on sale with delay because there was not much sun in February and March and the plants grew slower.

According to the producer, the price of a kilogram of tomatoes will be about 10 lei at the beginning. Afterward, the prices will decrease. Iurie Bivol said that he incurs large costs every year, while the incomes earned are far from being considered as profit. Agriculture has never been profitable in Moldova, but the producers are glad to recoup the investments and earn at least some money.

Sergiu Tirivan, deputy head of the Agriculture Ministry’s Marketing and International Relations Division, said the tomatoes sold at the markets in Moldova now have been imported.