4,600 ha of vineyards to be planted in 2009

4,600 hectares of vineyards are to be planted this year, Dumitru Bratco, consultant at the state-run Moldova-Vin Agency, told Info-Prim Neo. Bratco said some 5.6 million grapevine cuttings will be purchased from domestic producers at prices of 12-23 lei apiece, and 6 million other cuttings from abroad at 1.2 euros apiece. “Investments of 11 million euros are needed to cultivate a hectare of vineyard from its infancy to maturity when it is ready to produce fruit. According to the wine-making and vine-growing revival plan, Moldova has to plant 7,000 new hectares of vineyard every year until 2020”, Dumitru Bratco said. In 2008, vineyards were planted on a similar area (4,600 ha), which took the total vineyard area to around 160,000 hectares. Last year, the output of grapes was over 500,000 tonnes.