Moldova failed to earn incomes of US$20 million from wine sales since Russia imposed a ban on the imports of Moldovan wine. The calculations were done by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry. Despite the embargo, the wine exports rose by 23% this year, Minister Vasile Bumacov said in a news conference, quoted by IPN.

According to the official, the Russian embargo affected the wine producers, especially those who didn’t reorient their products to other markets. “50% of the Moldovan wine is sold namely in this period. We launched a series of actions to support the winemakers. We want wine of a high quality to be made, but this requires good equipment and wide knowledge,” stated the minister.

Vasile Bumacov said that from January 1, 2014, Moldova will have a liberalized regime for the wine exports to the EU. “This does not mean that the exports will rise automatically. We must make effort not to disappoint those who offer us such opportunities,” he added.

According to the Ministry’s data, in 2013 there were harvested 600,000 tonnes of grapes and made over 160 million liters of wine. About 120 million liters have been already exported. Moldova’s wine exports to the EU came to US$27 million, while to the CIS – to US$93 million. Among the EU member states, Poland imported 37% of the Moldovan wine, the Czech Republic - 23%, while Romanian – 13%. Among the CIS member states, Russia imported 48% of the wine, Belarus - 39%, while Kazakhstan - 12%.