Moldovan beekeepers do have markets where to export their honey, but the prices they are offered are so low they barely cover production costs, Ion Maxim, president of the National Association of Beekeepers, has told IPN.

About 3,400 tonnes of honey were exported last year, according to Maxim. “But this year export prices plummeted. We are offered ridiculously low prices. And we don’t have any deals (to export)”. Maxim says that the National Association of Beekeepers, together with the Association of Exporters and the Investment Agency, are always looking for new export markets. Moldovan beekeepers are waiting for exhibitions that will be held in Romania, Germany and France to promote their goods and secure better deals.

According to Maxim, beekeepers in Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and the Balkans are facing the same problem. And this happens despite lower honey outputs this year due to unfavorable weather.

Moldova at present has over 6,500 beekeepers owning about 260,000 bee families. The most popular varieties of honey are wildflower, linden, and acacia honey. Other varieties include rapeseed, sunflower, lavender, buckwheat, sage, and coriander honey.

Each year Moldova produces about 5,500-6,500 tonnes of honey and exports about 3,500 tonnes of it. The product is usually exported in bulk to be packaged in the EU.