About 21,000 recipients for collecting honey will be distributed to Moldovan beekeepers in order to prevent the contamination of honey and to ensure its quality for local and foreign consumers. According to the South Development Agency, the new vessels will improve sanitary conditions during the collection, transportation and packing of honey, IPN reports.
The vessels have been bought as part of USAID Moldova’s High Value Agriculture grant program. The first installment of 6,720 pieces has already arrived in Moldova and is being distributed to beekeepers throughout the country.
Yearly, there are about 4,000 tonnes of honey produced in Moldova, including May honey, acacia honey, multifloral honey and linden honey. Moldovan honey exports increased 12 times over the last ten years – from 245 tonnes in 2006 to 3,160 tonnes in 2016. Exports to the EU market are especially promising as the EU’s internal honey production covers only 60% of the demand.
In order to increase their presence on the EU market, Moldovan producers and exporters must respect EU standards and one the main issues is the fact that Moldovan beekeepers don’t use standardized vessels for the transportation of honey. Today, honey is collected in low quality buckets, aluminum boxes or plastic recipients that affect the quality of the end product.
