In Moldova, there are 338 cold storage facilities with a capacity of 196,100 tonnes. The temperature for 120,000 tonnes of these can be controlled. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, the storage capacity is insufficient given that the quantity of fruit and vegetables that needs to be stored is of about 250,000 tonnes.

In a response to an inquiry made by IPN News Agency, the Ministry said the fruit and vegetable storage capacity now stands at 78.4%. When production volumes rise, the storage necessities will also grow as the value of agricultural production and the profit of companies need to be increased.

The development of postharvest infrastructure and of the whole pre-cooling, sorting and freezing process is aimed at obtaining products with a high value added. When the necessary infrastructure is ensured, the agricultural producers can obtain homogenous products packed according to the market requirements and with a long use-by date. The products can be thus sold throughout the season at higher prices both at home and abroad, says the informative note of the Ministry.

In 2016, there were launched ten new sorting lines. The data for this year are not yet available.

State investments in the development of postharvest infrastructure came to 363.9 million lei.