Acting Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said that Moldova will possibly export cherries to the European Union in two years. About 90% of the exports of cherries are now directed to the Commonwealth of Independent States, IPN reports.

According to the minister, for Moldova to export cherries to the EU, the farmers must modernize packing, plant new sorts of cherry trees, use modern refrigerating equipment and irrigation systems. “The export season for agricultural products only started in Moldova. Cherries are the first product that will be exported. The food products represent 42% of the country’s exports,” said Vasile Bumacov.

He also said that the cherries grown in Moldova are good, but this field needs to be reformed and the cultivation of new sorts of cherries that keep better would be a first reformation step. All the producers who will plant cherry orchards will receive subsidies of 10,000-15,000 lei per hectare from the state.

The cherry harvest this year is expected to total about 8,300 tonnes. Almost 7,000 of them will be exported. The rest will be processed at the national canneries. The cherry orchards occupy over 3,000 hectares. Two thirds of them yield fruit.